HERMENEUTIC STUDIES: CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES IN TRUSTWORTHINESS

The application of qualitative methods is developing in different fields including
the health science. One of the challenges for hermeneutic researchers is the issue of trustworthiness.
Given that these studies do not target external reality in their process, traditional criteria to show the
correspondence to reality have been reported as controversial. The current study aims to review the
challenges of these criteria and introduce exclusive strategies corresponding to hermeneutic studies.
Materials & Methods: Using the related keywords, English papers were searched in “Google Scholar,
PubMed, and Web of Science” in June 2020 and the sources were extracted. Having reviewed the
abstracts and the full texts, 13 articles directly related to the subject under study were selected.
Moreover, another set of 12 pieces of related literature were added by referring to other sources such as
the related citations. The collected data were analyzed using a critical review approach.
Results: Data analysis demonstrated differences in the suggested methods for trustworthiness in
hermeneutic studies. Although some references indicate that application of “credibility, dependability,
transferability and confirmability” is possible in hermeneutics, the difference in theoretical and
methodological frameworks have resulted in the introduction of new expressions such as “balanced
integration, openness, concreteness, resonance, and actualization” for trustworthiness in hermeneutics
studies.
Conclusion: No single criteria can be applied to assess trustworthiness in all qualitative methods. The
application of general criteria for judging trustworthiness in hermeneutic studies has been reported as
problematic. The present study results can assist researchers of qualitative inquiries particularly those
engaged in hermeneutic researches to select appropriate criteria based on the research method. Although
further scrutiny is needed, the criteria specifically compatible with hermeneutic studies such as those
expressed by De Witt and Ploeg seem more appropriate than the traditional ones