Criteria: Truth Value
Credibility:The credibility criteria involves establishing that the results of qualitative research are credible or believable from the perspective of the participant in the research. Since from this perspective, the purpose of qualitative research is to describe or understand the phenomena of interest from the participant's eyes, the participants are the only ones who can legitimately judge the credibility of the results.

Credibility is one method used by qualitative researchers to establish trustworthiness by examining the data, data analysis, and conclusions to see whether or not the study is correct and accurate. For qualitative researchers, credibility is a method that includes researchers taking on activities that increase probability so that there will be trustworthy findings. The following are procedures qualitative researchers can use to increase credibility in qualitative studies: 1. Prolonged engagement is an activity qualitative researchers use to learn traditions and customs of the participants and build trust. It is crucial for researchers to spend a good amount of time at a site and examine any distortions, including perceptual, selective, and misconstruction of investigator’s questions. 2. Persistent observation is used to examine credibility by looking in-depth at what the researchers are examining and investigating factor in detail. 3. Triangulation is an activity used to examine a substantial amount of various sources (i.e., interviewing and observation), methods, investigators, and theories. Several different investigators are used to examine if one researcher is more or less honest from other team members. Multiple theories are examined because theories can be interrelated, and findings could result in a function of the similarity of theories. Contextual validation plays a role in triangulation because it examines the validity of a piece of a study by comparing it with other kinds of evidence on same points to find a similar characteristic style or distortion in a source. 4. Peer debriefing is used to help make sure none of the researchers are using their biased opinion. This method consists of researchers asking a colleague or another person to look over the study for credibility and determine if the results seem to align from the data. 5. Negative case analysis is used to show that not all the data will provide the same result. This improves the credibility of a study because it shows that the researchers are looking over the cases thoroughly, and it allows researchers to present information from a study that does not align with other themes, patterns, and overall results. 6. Referential adequacy is a method used to store raw data in records to examine later and compare to other future studies to show the credibility of data. 7. Members checking is used for participants to review the data, analytic categories, interpretations, and conclusions tested with the participants. This allows qualitative researchers to examine the overall accuracy of the study, and verifying data results.

Criteria: Applicability
Transferability:Transferability refers to the degree to which the results of qualitative research can be generalized or transferred to other contexts or settings. From a qualitative perspective, transferability is primarily the responsibility of the one doing the generalizing. The qualitative researcher can enhance transferability by doing a thorough job of describing (thick description) the research context and the assumptions that were central to the research. The person who wishes to "transfer" the results to a different Transferability is another method used by qualitative researchers to establish trustworthiness. In qualitative studies, transferability means applying research results to other contexts and settings in order to get at generalizability. Qualitative researchers use this method to provide a detailed description of the study’s site, participants, and procedures used to collect data in order for other researchers to assess whether or not applying the results of one study is a good match, and makes sense to generalize. In contrast to transferability, quantitative researchers use the method of external validity to establish trustworthiness. External validity is used to generalize from the research sample to the larger population. It is crucial for quantitative researchers to examine the sampling technique in determining the trustworthiness of a study. Researchers use external validity in the form of such things as statistical confident limits to make reasonably accurate statements. Quantitative researchers must look into the following factors that could affect external validity and generalizability: subjects, situation, time, intervention, and measures.

Criteria: Consistency

Dependability: The traditional quantitative view of reliability is based on the assumption of replicability or repeatability. Essentially it is concerned with whether we would obtain the same results if we could observe the same thing twice. But we can't actually measure the same thing twice -- by definition if we are measuring twice, we are measuring two different things. In order to estimate reliability, quantitative researchers construct various hypothetical notions (e.g., true score theory) to try to get around this fact.
Dependability is a method qualitative researchers used to show consistency of findings. Qualitative researchers describe in detail the exact methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. This is so the study could be auditable to describe the situation, and for another researcher to follow the study. The following are ways to show dependability: 1. There can be no validity without reliability, and no credibility without dependability. 2. “Overlap methods” as a direct technique to exemplify a kind of triangulation. 3. “Stepwise replication” as a process of establishing reliability. This approach requires an inquiry team of at least two people or more who can be separated into two inquiry teams. The two teams deal with data sources separately and perform their studies apart from one another. Then, the results between the two teams are compared. 4. Inquiry audit for a researcher auditor to examine the process of the study and determine its acceptability to the dependability of the study. The researcher auditor looks into the data, findings, interpretations, and recommendations and looks into whether the study is supported by data and is trustworthy.

The idea of dependability, on the other hand, emphasizes the need for the researcher to account for the ever-changing context within which research occurs. The research is responsible for describing the changes that occur in the setting and how these changes affected the way the research approached the study.

Criteria: Neutrality
Confirmability: Qualitative research tends to assume that each researcher brings a unique perspective to the study. Confirmability refers to the degree to which the results could be confirmed or corroborated by others. There are a number of strategies for enhancing confirmability. The researcher can document the procedures for checking and rechecking the data throughout the study. Another researcher can take a "devil's advocate" role with respect to the results, and this process can be documented. The researcher can actively search for and describe and negative instances that contradict prior observations. And, after he study, one can conduct a data audit that examines the data collection and analysis procedures and makes judgements about the potential for bias or distortion.
Confirmability is a method used by qualitative researchers to establish trustworthiness. Confirmability includes an audit trail that includes raw data, such as electronically recorded materials, written field notes, documents, and records. This method is used for another researcher to be able to verify the study when presented with the same data. Confirmability is achieved when findings of a study reflect from the participants of the study and make sure the data speaks for itself, and is not based on biases and assumptions of the researchers.