Challenges and Opportunities Experienced by Iranian Researchers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused new conditions, problems, and different research platforms for qualitative research. The aim of the present study was to analyse the challenges and opportunities facing qualitative researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. This qualitative research was conducted with a conventional content analysis approach with twenty-four Iranian health sciences researchers. The participants were selected by snowball and purposive sampling. Data collection was carried out using semi-structured face-to-face and online interviews until reaching saturation. Data analysis was also carried out using the Graneheim & Lundman approach in MAXQDA-2018 software, and to improve the trustworthiness of the results, Guba and Lincoln's criteria were used. Data analysis led to the identification of two main categories, 13 subcategories, and 69 primary codes: The challenges were in areas such as data collection methods, access to participants and how to conduct interviews. Opportunities also included formation of new topics for qualitative research, highlighting the importance of qualitative research, strengthening the technological knowledge of researchers, research cost-effectiveness, and presenting further information on sensitive topics. It is also possible to strengthen qualitative research by supporting qualitative researchers at universities and research centres, facilitating the administrative processes, providing communication infrastructure such as suitable Internet in universities, ensuring more diversity in data collection methods, developing an appropriate protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic, and dedicating some university rooms to qualitative researchers to conduct interviews.