Qualitative research theory often equates with the methodologies used but this is a complex relationship, plagued by lack of consensus among scholars regarding how theory and methodology are related. There is an article Bradbury-Jones, Taylor, & Herber, (2014) that furthers the debates how theories are used in qualitative research, how they might influence a study and how they are articulated in publications. The aim of the article was to provide a framework through which the relationship between theory and qualitative research may be understood. According to their research approach, Bradbury-Jones, et al. (2014) proposed a five-point typology on the levels of theoretical visibility, testing this against a range of published research from five key international health, medicine and social science journals.
Bradbury-Jones, C., Taylor, J., & Herber, O. (2014). How theory is used and articulated in qualitative research: development of a new typology. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 120135-141. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.09.014
