The DORR Framework: Reframing Trustworthiness Criteria for Hermeneutic Research.

Area of Science:

• Qualitative Research Methodology
• Philosophy of Science
• Caring Science

Background:

• Hermeneutic research quality evaluation lacks frameworks aligned with its philosophical underpinnings.
• Existing standards often conflict with hermeneutics' interpretive epistemologies.
• A need exists for a quality assessment framework grounded in hermeneutic principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present the DORR Framework for assessing interpretive rigor in hermeneutic research.
• To provide a philosophically coherent structure for evaluating hermeneutic inquiry.
• To align quality assessment with the ontological and epistemological foundations of hermeneutics.

Main Methods:

• Reinterpreting Lincoln and Guba's trustworthiness criteria (credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability) through hermeneutic principles.
• Synthesizing insights from philosophical hermeneutics, caring science, and qualitative methodology.
• Developing the DORR Framework with four dimensions: Depth, Openness, Resonance, and Reflexivity.

Main Results:

• The DORR Framework operationalizes its four dimensions (Depth, Openness, Resonance, Reflexivity) using reflective questions.
• These questions guide researchers in demonstrating interpretive depth, dialogical openness, contextual resonance, and reflexive accountability.
• The framework avoids procedural reductionism in quality assessment.

Conclusions:

• The DORR Framework provides a practical and philosophically sound approach to evaluating hermeneutic research quality.
• It promotes epistemological transparency, ethical integrity, and scholarly reflexivity.
• The framework supports assessing research quality consistent with caring science principles in health-related research.