An open letter to The BMJ editors on qualitative research.

Trisha Greenhalgh professor of primary care health sciences, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK, Ellen Annandale professor, Sociology, University of York, UK, Richard Ashcroft professor of bioethics, Queen Mary University London, UK, James Barlow professor of technology and innovation management–healthcare, Imperial College Business School, UK, Nick Black professor of health services research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, Alan Bleakley emeritus professor of medical education, University of Plymouth, UK, Ruth Boaden professor of service operations management, Manchester Business School, UK , Jeffrey Braithwaite professor of health systems research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Sydney, Australia, Nicky Britten professor of applied healthcare research, University of Exeter Medical School, UK, Franco Carnevale professor, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Canada, Kath Checkland professor of health policy and primary care, Centre for Primary Care, University of Manchester, UK, Julianne Cheek professor, Faculty of Business, Languages and Social Sciences, Ostfold University College, Norway, Alex Clark professsor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Canada, Simon Cohn reader in anthropology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, Jack Coulehan professor emeritus, Department of Preventative Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA, Benjamin Crabtree professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Rutgers University, NJ, USA, Steven Cummins professor of population health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, Frank Davidoff executive editor, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA, USA, Huw Davies professor of healthcare policy and management, University of St Andrews, UK, Robert Dingwall professor of sociology, Nottingham Trent University, UK, Mary Dixon-Woods professor of medical sociology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, UK, Glyn Elwyn professor, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth, NH, USA, Eivind Engebretsen professor, Institute for Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway, Ewan Ferlie professor of public services management, Kings College London, UK, Naomi Fulop professor of healthcare organisation and management, University College London, UK, John Gabbay emeritus professor of public health, University of Southampton, UK, Marie-Pierre Gagnon professor, Faculty of Nursing, Université Laval, Quebec, Canda, Dariusz Galasinski professor of discourse and cultural studies, University of Wolverhampton, UK, Ruth Garside senior lecturer in evidence synthesis, University of Exeter, UK, Lucy Gilson professor of health policy and systems, University of Cape Town, South Africa, Peter Griffiths professor of health services research, University of Southampton, UK, Penny Hawe professor of public health, University of Sydney, Australia, Jan-Kees Helderman associate professor of public administration, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, Brian Hodges professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada, David Hunter director, Centre for Public Policy and Health, Durham University, UK, Margaret Kearney professor, University of Rochester, NY, USA, Celia Kitzinger codirector, Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, University of York, UK, Jenny Kitzinger codirector, Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, University of Cardiff, UK, Ayelet Kuper assistant professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada, Saville Kushner professor of public education, University of Auckland, New Zealand, Andree Le May emerita professor of nursing, University of Southampton, UK, France Legare Canada research chair in implementation of shared decision making in primary care, University of Laval, Canada, Lorelei Lingard professor, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada, Louise Locock director of applied research, Health Experiences Research Group, University of Oxford, UK, Jill Maben professor of nursing, King’s College London, UK, Mary Ellen Macdonald associate professor, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Canada, Frances Mair professor of primary care research, University of Glasgow, UK, Russell Mannion professor of health systems,