A Phenomenological Research Design Illustrated

A map of the big debates in phenomenological research: how strictly to define it, how much to interpret, what to do with the researcher's own assumptions, and whether it is science or art. Useful for choosing between descriptive and interpretive approaches.

Linda Finlay

A hands-on introduction to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) co-written by its founder. It covers the method's roots, sampling, interviewing and step-by-step analysis of the data.

Igor Pietkiewicz and Jonathan A. Smith

A widely cited comparison of descriptive and hermeneutic phenomenology as research methodologies: their roots in Husserl, Heidegger and Gadamer, their assumptions and what kind of findings each produces.

Susann M. Laverty

A decision framework for choosing between descriptive and interpretive phenomenology, with a clear account of how to practice bracketing throughout a study. Good for researchers stuck on method choice.

Mohammed Al-Sheikh Hassan

A long introductory essay on what phenomenology offers human science research: its key concepts, its rejection of dogma and how its philosophy becomes a way of doing research.

Luigina Mortari and Massimiliano Tarozzi