Certification of qualitative researchers - is it good, bad or ugly?

Following an overview of the history and current status of the certification issue, this paper reviews the several sides of the debate.

Certification of qualitative researchers: is it good, bad or ugly?

Hy MariampolskiQualiData Research Inc., United States

INTRODUCTION

Certification is one of our profession's most contentious issues. As a way of legitimating entry and adding status to qualitative research, certification has advanced towards the top of the agenda. The environment is changing; the iron barrier against certification of market researchers has been breached. A variety of associations, such as the Marketing Research Association, The Qualitative Research Consultants Association and the Canadian Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, have either initiated certification programs or are seriously investigating whether or not to establish...

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