Transparency standards in qualitative comparative analysis

When judging the usefulness of methods, it is not only their technical principles that matter, but also how these principles are then translated into applied practice. No matter how well developed our techniques and methods are, if their usage runs against their spirit, they cannot be what the originally ancient Greek word “method” literally means: a “way towards a goal.” Standards of best practice are therefore important components of methodological advancement, if such standards are recognized for what they ought to be: transitory condensations of a shared understanding that are valid until improved.