How to use bracketing in qualitative research

Accounting for personal influences that might inform the collection and analysis phases in a study is essential to bracketing regardless of the approach the researcher adopts. Whether one is suspending "bias" or explaining how their subjective lens affects the study, recognition of what makes the inquiry subjective is an essential prerequisite to bracketing. Researchers should first conscientiously consider their positionality relative to the research context and its participants. Above all, this should bring about a recognition that the human researcher is not an objective collector of information, and anything which may shape their interpretations should be acknowledged and addressed. Ask yourself how you approach the research study you are conducting. Think about your search history or search results when building your literature review, for example. What scholars or theories have influenced your view of the research context? Are you conducting this research for a grant proposal or to complete a doctoral program? How do these motivations affect how you collect and analyze data? A full accounting of your positionality and worldview can only enhance, not interfere with, the research in front of you. Be sure to list in your bracketing notes all possible influences that can be relevant to conducting your study and explaining your findings to your research audience. If you are adopting a transcendental approach to phenomenology, the bracketing notes are your resource that help you suspend your preconceptions when conducting your study. This practice requires constant reflection on your own conduct in the field. This approach requires an open mind when you engage with the social world. This might involve documenting as much of the concept or phenomenon as objectively as possible without making interpretations or judgments (e.g., describing what something is rather than whether it is "good" vs "bad" or you agree or disagree). Or it might require you to reflect on your observations afterward to determine if you need to adjust your analysis so it captures more of the essence of the object under inquiry. On the other hand, an approach that acknowledges the necessity of subjective influences is less about suspending preconceptions and more about describing your analysis in the context of your analytical lens. What do you notice or focus on because of your identities? What might you overlook or misinterpret because of any outside status you might have in the field? Bracketing within an interpretive paradigm requires constant reflection as well as deep engagement with participants in the field to capture as much of their perspectives as possible. A thick description, made possible by a rich understanding of how those in the field see the world, can help the researcher mitigate any misinterpretations and recognize differences in individual characteristics.