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Appreciate qualitative research as being of equal value to quantitative research

Nature Water volume 1, pages 302–303 (2023)Cite this article

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As a qualitative social scientist with a background in human geography and years of experience in interdisciplinary research, including a joint project with social, natural and engineer scientists on water vulnerability, I fully endorse Julia Martin-Ortega’s strong and important statement1. She argues that global water challenges cannot be tackled without social sciences, while, at the same time, social sciences with their ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies are still often not treated on an equal footing with the natural sciences and engineering. It is obvious, though, that we need each other’s knowledge and approaches to address the grand problems facing humanity. Although this may not be a new insight, and it sounds simple and logical, turning this insight into action has proven remarkably difficult. Academics, funders and publishers must continue supporting genuine interdisciplinarity.

Expanding on a point mentioned by Martin-Ortega1, I believe it is essential to reflect more on the qualitative-quantitative divide. The widespread tendency in the natural sciences is to dismiss qualitative research as anecdotal, value-laden, non-replicable, not representative of a larger population and biased by the researcher’s own values and beliefs. To overcome such methodological reservations and increase appreciation of qualitative research, I believe that it is vital to draw more attention to the concrete empirical insights that can be obtained from qualitative as opposed to quantitative data2. While there is a growing understanding of the key characteristics of qualitative research, too little is known in quantitative circles about the merits and added value that qualitative research offers to water-related research. However, awareness and a thorough understanding of the benefits of qualitative data are paramount to promote credibility and openness to and engagement with qualitative research. Even if quantitative scientists generally support qualitative paradigms in an unbiased manner, they are often unaware of why and how qualitative approaches matter.

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  1. Department of Geography, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Anna Lena Bercht

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Correspondence to Anna Lena Bercht.

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Bercht, A.L. Appreciate qualitative research as being of equal value to quantitative research. Nat Water 1, 302–303 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00067-8

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