Neo-positivism refers to research that involves collecting and analysing qualitative data but is based on a positivist, rather than an interpretive, epistemology. It is characterised by the use of criteria associated with the positivist paradigm to evaluate research quality; for example, by using terms such as ‘validity’, ‘member-checking’ or ‘rigor’ in ways that reflect an underlying realist ontology and a commitment to scientific method.