Table 3 Quality of evidence within and across cases
Triangulation | Evidence that is supported by multiple sources (i.e. literature and interviews); assessed at single case stage of analysisa |
Strong | Thick evidence from three or more sources of data (e.g. literature or different types of informants) |
Adequate | Thick evidence from two sources of data (e.g. literature or different types of informants) |
Limited | Thick evidence from only one source of data (i.e. literature or type of informant) |
Thin evidence only | Only thin evidence available |
No evidence | No evidence was generated |
Strength of Evidence Across Cases | The degree of support for the hypotheses within either the literal or contrast replication for a given hypothesis across cases; assessed at cross-case stage of analysis |
High | Support is high when triangulation is at least adequate across 60% or more of cases |
Medium | Support is medium when triangulation is at least adequate across 40% of cases |
Low | Support is low when there is less than 40% adequacy |
Thin evidence only | Only thin evidence available |
No support | No thick or thin evidence was found (i.e. the hypothesis was not discussed by key informants or in the literature) |