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. 2019 Mar 19;36(5):666–671. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmz010

Table 2.

Distribution of studies (n = 54) according to common types of MM design and seven combinations of MM strategies

Three types of integration
Nine practical strategies
Combinations of strategies (according to the type of MM design)
(n = number of studies illustrating each combination)
Sequential Convergent Multiphase Multilevel Other*
T1. Connection of phase
 1a. Phase QUAL to Phase QUAN 1a (n = 4) 1a (n = 1)
 1b. Phase QUAN to Phase QUAL 1b (n = 4) 1b (n = 1)
 1c. Special case: following a thread 1c & 2b (n = 1)
T2. Comparison of results
 2a. QUAL and QUAN results obtained in a separate manner 2a (n = 9)
 2b. QUAL and QUAN results obtained in an interdependent manner 1a & 2b (n = 2)
1b & 2b (n = 6)
2b (n = 15) 1a & 2b (n = 1)
 2c. Special case: divergence 2a & 2c (n = 1)
2b & 2c (n = 1)
T3. Assimilation of data
 3a. QUAL data in QUAN data 1a & 3a (n = 1) 2b & 3a (n = 1) 3a (n = 1)
 3b. QUAN data in QUAL data 3b (n = 1)
 3c. Merging of QUAL and QUAN data 1a & 2b & 3c (n = 1)
1b & 3c (n = 1)
2b & 3c (n = 1)
2b & 3b & 3c (n = 1)
4. Emerging strategies
None found
Observed combinations of
TYPES of integration
7 (n = 19) 8 (n = 30) 3 (n = 3) 1 (n = 1) 1 (n = 1)

(Reproduced from Pluye et al. (5) by permission of the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches)

*Other design: variant of a sequential design where results of a Phase 1 convergent design (QUAL + QUAN) informed a Phase 2 QUAN.

The symbol ‘&’ (meaning ‘and’) allows to represent the combinations with several strategies.