Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em: qualitative thinking outside the university.

Qualitative researchers often face a dilemma. They are asked to apply their knowledge to problems without adequate time or support to conduct projects that meet traditional academic standards of research design and methodology. Should qualitative researchers pitch in and get involved or keep their distance? What can they hope to accomplish, if anything? How do they know whether a particular job can be done? Traditional research training provides few guidelines to answer such questions. In this article, the author explores one way to think about what such guidelines might look like.