I need a cohort of Reservist combat veterans. I am a regular combat veteran and I need the selection to be seen, to be open and transparent. Selection without my influence, is it possible? Researching transition of identity post deployment.
I personally think that with a qualitative research question as yours you'd be better off by clearly stating your personal involvement. Imho, rigour in qualitative research is not necessarily achieved by keeping a distance, but by maximizing variation in sampling, possibly by triangulation of methods, correct and transparent data collection methods etc.
Dear Dr. Spruce:
Firstly, I strongly recommend you the classical book of Patton (2002) (listed below). There, you will find definitions and examples of a dozen of purposeful samplig strategies in qualitative research.
Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park: Sage.
Secondly, I recommend you the searching of books, chapters or articles under the keywords "field roles" or "insider/outsider" researcher's role in qualitative research. As you know, it is a topic that involves not only methodological challenges, but also ethical ones. Beyond the fact that you will surely be able to find many of such materials through the internet, I recommend you the following books:
Feldman, M.; Bell, J. y Berger, M. (2003). Gaining access: A practical and theoretical guide for qualitative researchers. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press.
Flick, U. (2010). An introduction to qualitative research. London: Sage.
Frost, N. (2011). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining core approaches. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press.
Hopf, Ch. (2004). Research ethics and qualitative research. En U. Flick, E. von
Kardorff e I. Steinke (Eds.), A companion to qualitative research (pp. 334-339). London: Sage.
Howitt, D. (2010). Introduction to qualitative methods in psychology. Harlow: Pearson.
Meinefeld, W. (2004). Hypotheses and prior knowledge in qualitative research. En U. Flick, E. von Kardorff e I. Steinke (Eds.), A companion to qualitative research (pp. 153-158). London: Sage.
Merkens, H. (2004). Selection procedures, sampling, case construction. En U. Flick, E. von Kardorff e I. Steinke (Eds.), A companion to qualitative research (pp. 165-171). London: Sage.
Silverman, D. y Marvasti, A. (2008). Doing qualitative research: A comprehensive guide. London: Sage.
Tracy, S. (2013). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Zingaro, L. (2009). Speaking out: Storytelling for social change. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Finally, I recommend you the open access qualitative research journal FQS. By using the aforementioned keywords you will find there a lot of interesting materials, including empirical research reports. The web page link is:
http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/search/search
Good luck!!!
I think that you can succeed with this selection, but you would be best to use a method of recruiting participants that does not give preference to people you know. If you are doing qualitative research, there is no need for a random sample, but nevertheless, you want a broad cross-section of veterans so you have a good range of experiences to draw on.
As Paolo said, in qualitative writing, it is appropriate for you to state your background. You might even identify yourself as a "participant observer" because your own experiences will serve as the lens through which you evaluate the data you collect.
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