Feedback from research participants: are member checks useful in qualitative research?
Open accessAbstract
It is often assumed that use of so-called “member checks” improves the credibility of qualitative research. Published literature mentioning member checks was reviewed to identify the purposes and procedures for seeking feedback from research participants as well as outcomes reported from member checks. Four themes reflecting underlying assumptions about the purposes of research that have implications for member checks were identified: theory generalisation, representation, participation, and change. Member checks are unlikely to be relevant to research focussed on theory development and generalisation. For other types of research, member checks might be justifiable, but there was little evidence that member checks improved research findings. Member checks can be useful for obtaining participant approval for using quotations or case studies and where anonymity cannot be guaranteed. In evaluation, stakeholder reviews of draft reports can be seen as good research practice. In participatory or collaborative research, ongoing contact might include member checks.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Member checking was carried out to verify the authenticity of the summarized findings.
“Additionally, member checking [27] (ie, sharing the findings with all members of the workshop) was carried out to verify the authenticity of the summarized findings.”
Credibility was sought by using a prolonged and iterative coding process and theme development, including member checking with clarifying questions for individual data and for analytic ideas.
“Credibility, transferability, and dependability were sought: credibility was sought by using a prolonged and iterative coding process and theme development, including member checking (Campbell et al., 2023; Connelly, 2016; Thomas, 2017) with clarifying questions for individual data and for analytic ideas.”
From Promoting general well-being, self-knowledge and addressing oppression: a qualitative study of children’s dance participation (2025) · cites this paper as Thomas, 2017
Cites
Lincoln, Y. S., Guba, E. G., & Pilotta, J. J. (1985) · International Journal of Intercultural Relations · doi:10.1016/0147-1767(85)90062-8 · Cited by 45,787 · see citing works
Tong, A., Sainsbury, P., & Craig, J. (2007) · International Journal for Quality in Health Care · doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzm042 · Cited by 42,509 · see citing works
Basics of Qualitative Research
Ozanne, J. L., Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M. (1992) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.2307/3172751 · Cited by 17,852 · see citing works
A General Inductive Approach for Analyzing Qualitative Evaluation Data
Thomas, D. R. (2006) · American Journal of Evaluation · doi:10.1177/1098214005283748 · Cited by 10,858 · see citing works
Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-8-45 · Cited by 9,312 · see citing works
Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry
Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000) · Theory Into Practice · doi:10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2 · Cited by 9,184 · cited 2× · see citing works
“A third option is to send participants a written summary of emerging themes or a copy of the draft report to review (Creswell 2000).”
BackgroundQualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research
Tracy, S. J. (2010) · Qualitative Inquiry · doi:10.1177/1077800410383121 · Cited by 7,536 · cited 5× · see citing works
“● Member checks, member checking (Cho & Trent 2006; Creswell 2000; Guba & Lincoln 1989; Koelsch 2013; Lincoln & Guba 1985; Tracy 2010) ● Member validation (Bloor 1997; Koelsch 2013) ● Respondent validation (Barbour 2001; Mays & Pope 2000; Tong et al. 2007) ● Member reflections (Tracy 2010) ●…”
BackgroundInfluential(2014) · SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781446294406.n148 · Cited by 7,272 · see citing works
Verification strategies for establishing reliability and validity in qualitative research
Morse, J. M., Barrett, M., Mayan, M., Olson, K., & Spiers, J. (2002) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/160940690200100202 · Cited by 4,978 · see citing works
Qualitative research in health care: Assessing quality in qualitative research
Mays, N. (2000) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7226.50 · Cited by 3,742 · see citing works
Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods
Welch, J. K., & Patton, M. Q. (1992) · Modern Language Journal · doi:10.2307/330063 · Cited by 3,329 · see citing works
Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: a case of the tail wagging the dog?
Barbour, R. S. (2001) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1115 · Cited by 2,613 · see citing works
Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Research
Fossey, E., Harvey, C., Mcdermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01100.x · Cited by 2,311 · see citing works
Qualitative and Mixed Methods Provide Unique Contributions to Outcomes Research
Curry, L. A., Nembhard, I. M., & Bradley, E. H. (2009) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.107.742775 · Cited by 1,091 · see citing works
Validity in qualitative research revisited
Cho, J., & Trent, A. (2006) · Qualitative Research · doi:10.1177/1468794106065006 · Cited by 1,037 · see citing works
Evaluating meta-ethnography: systematic analysis and synthesis of qualitative research
Campbell, R., Pound, P., Morgan, M., Daker-White, G., Britten, N., Pill, R., Yardley, L., Pope, C., & Donovan, J. (2011) · Health Technology Assessment · doi:10.3310/hta15430 · Cited by 619 · see citing works
Dixon-Woods, M., Sutton, A., Shaw, R., Miller, T., Smith, J., Young, B., Bonas, S., Booth, A., & Jones, D. (2007) · Journal of Health Services Research & Policy · doi:10.1258/135581907779497486 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
Member Checking With Older Women: A Framework for Negotiating Meaning
Doyle, S. (2007) · Health Care For Women International · doi:10.1080/07399330701615325 · Cited by 449 · see citing works
The hermeneutics of faith and the hermeneutics of suspicion
Josselson, R. (2004) · Narrative Inquiry · doi:10.1075/ni.14.1.01jos · Cited by 430 · see citing works
Hannes, K., Lockwood, C. S., & Pearson, A. (2010) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732310378656 · Cited by 417 · see citing works
Reconceptualizing the Member Check Interview
Koelsch, L. E. (2013) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/160940691301200105 · Cited by 374 · see citing works
Member Checking: Can Benefits Be Gained Similar to Group Therapy?
Harper, M., & Cole, P. M. (2015) · The Qualitative Report · doi:10.46743/2160-3715/2012.2139 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Mero-Jaffe, I. (2011) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/160940691101000304 · Cited by 342 · see citing works
Toyé, F., Seers, K., Allcock, N., Briggs, M., Carr, E., & Barker, K. L. (2014) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-14-80 · Cited by 326 · see citing works
Techniques of Validation in Qualitative Research: a Critical Commentary
Bloor, M. (1997) · SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781849208758.n3 · Cited by 317 · see citing works
Combatting Challenges to Establishing Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research
Kornbluh, M. (2015) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1080/14780887.2015.1021941 · Cited by 237 · see citing works
Goldblatt, H., Karnieli‐Miller, O., & Neumann, M. (2011) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2010.12.016 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Interviewee Transcript Review: assessing the impact on qualitative research
Hagens, V. K., Dobrow, M., & Chafe, R. (2009) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-9-47 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
Sousa, D. (2014) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1080/14780887.2013.853855 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Wainwright, S. F., Shepard, K. F., Harman, L. B., & Stephens, J. (2009) · Physical Therapy · doi:10.2522/ptj.20090077 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Member checking and Heideggerian phenomenology: a redundant component
McConnell‐Henry, T., Chapman, Y. B., & Francis, K. L. (2011) · Nurse Researcher · doi:10.7748/nr2011.01.18.2.28.c8282 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Wolgemuth, J. R., Erdil-Moody, Z., Opsal, T., Cross, J. E., Kaanta, T., Dickmann, E. M., & Colomer, S. (2015) · Qualitative Research · doi:10.1177/1468794114524222 · Cited by 121 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Member checks may also be conducted with specific participants who may have concerns about being identified, how they are represented in a report, or have asked that some parts of the interview to be excluded (Wolgemuth et al. 2015, p. 360).”
BackgroundBuchbinder, E. (2010) · Qualitative Social Work · doi:10.1177/1473325010370189 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
The State of the Empirical Research Literature on Stakeholder Involvement in Program Evaluation
Brandon, P. R., & Fukunaga, L. L. (2013) · American Journal of Evaluation · doi:10.1177/1098214013503699 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation
(2023) · Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation · doi:10.56645/jmde · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Contracts and member checks in qualitative research in human geography: reason for caution?
Bradshaw, M. (2001) · Area · doi:10.1111/1475-4762.00023 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Phenomenology and participant feedback: convention or contention?
Bradbury‐Jones, C., Irvine, F. E., & Sambrook, S. A. (2010) · Nurse Researcher · doi:10.7748/nr2010.01.17.2.25.c7459 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Organizational Culture and Climate for Promoting Innovativeness
Joseph, M. L. (2015) · JONA The Journal of Nursing Administration · doi:10.1097/nna.0000000000000178 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Learning from parents' stories about what works in early intervention
Pighini, M. J., Goelman, H., Buchanan, M. J., et al. (2013) · International Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1002/ijop.12024 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Enhancing groundedness in realist grounded theory research.
Lo, C. O. (2014) · Qualitative Psychology · doi:10.1037/qup0000001 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Women's Perceptions of CenteringPregnancy
Herrman, J. W., Rogers, S., & Ehrenthal, D. B. (2011) · MCN The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing · doi:10.1097/nmc.0b013e3182385204 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Advocating beyond the academy: dilemmas of communicating relevant research results
MacKenzie, C. A., Christensen, J., & Turner, S. (2013) · Qualitative Research · doi:10.1177/1468794113509261 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Stakeholder Involvement in Evaluation: Three Decades of the American Journal of Evaluation
Rodríguez‐Campos, L. (2012) · Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation · doi:10.56645/jmde.v8i17.335 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
I ranian nurses’ perspectives on factors influencing medication errors
Pazokian, M., Tafreshi, M. Z., & Rassouli, M. (2014) · International Nursing Review · doi:10.1111/inr.12086 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Tensions Between Anonymity and Thick Description When “Studying Up” in Genetics Research
Bickford, J., & Nisker, J. (2014) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732314552194 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Huang, X., Yen, W., Liu, S., & Lin, C. (2008) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02110.x · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Pathophysiology, Homeostasis and Nursing
Collins, T. (2004) · Nursing Standard · doi:10.7748/ns.18.42.28.s45 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Talking Controversy: Long-Term Users of Antidepressants and the Diagnosis of Depression
Sigurdson, K. J., & McMullen, L. M. (2013) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1080/14780887.2011.647260 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Smith, B., & McGannon, K. R. (2018) · International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1750984x.2017.1317357 · Cited by 3,074 · see citing works
Allan, S., Bradstreet, S., Mcleod, H., Farhall, J., Lambrou, M., Gleeson, J., Clark, A., EMPOWER Group, & Gumley, A. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/14366 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
O’Callaghan, C., Dwyer, J., & Schofield, P. (2024) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1080/14780887.2024.2347580 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Saleem, M., Zafar, S., Klein, T., Koesters, M., Bashir, A., Fuhr, D. C., Sikander, S., & Zeeb, H. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/59414 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Additionally, member checking [27] (ie, sharing the findings with all members of the workshop) was carried out to verify the authenticity of the summarized findings.”
Stutesman, M. G., Sheridan, K., & Goldstein, T. R. (2025) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2025.2459397 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“…transferability, and dependability were sought: credibility was sought by using a prolonged and iterative coding process and theme development, including member checking (Campbell et al., 2023; Connelly, 2016; Thomas, 2017) with clarifying questions for individual data and for analytic ideas.”
- Authors
- Thomas, D. R.
- Venue
- Qualitative Research in Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-08-02
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 23-41
- ISSN
- 1478-0887 (ISSN-L)
- 1478-0895
- OpenAlex
- W2490192616
- Cited by
- 487
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 82 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 9
- FWCI
- 94.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Qualitative Research in Psychology (publishedVersion)
- ResearchSpace (University of Auckland) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Keywords
- participant feedback, representation, participation, stakeholder review, participatory research, research collaboration, research ethics, anonymity
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
