Table 2.

Questions to be asked in the design of mixed‐methods research studies

Questions	Explanation and prompts
What is the overarching aim of the study?	Mixed‐methods studies, by definition, are often designed with a specific aim that can guide the final study design: discuss with the research team whether the overarching aim is theory building (explaining, exploring or describing phenomena) or hypothesis testing
Which is the dominant method?	In some mixed‐methods studies the methods are equally weighted but often they are not. It is worth making this explicit. Nested or embedded designs refer to where there is a smaller data set collected within a larger study for a specific purpose
Is the data collection sequential, in parallel or convergent?	Research designs may be described as sequential (one after the other), in parallel (happening concurrently but separately, with integration occurring later) or convergent (happening concurrently and with the data sets interacting)
At what stage does the integration of the two methods occur?	It is important to be clear about whether, when, to what extent and how integration was achieved in the methodology section of the study
Is the qualitative element explanatory or exploratory?	The qualitative element of the mixed‐methods research may have a range of different purposes, such as explaining previous findings or exploring a phenomenon