A hypothesis is your main research focus, generally written in the form of a question. The research goal is to gather information, allowing you to answer your hypothesis. The hypothesis should be reasonable, testable and verifiable. For instance, the statement "This new medicine is the best" is not a question and impossible to prove because the hypothesis fails to suggest a comparison to limit your experiment. Instead, consider the hypothesis, "What are the effects of this new medicine?" This question is reasonable because it is limited to one medicine, testable because you are looking for specific effects -- and verifiable because others can reproduce your conclusion.
Qualitative research uses many different forms of research. These include literature reviews, where you study the research of others; open-ended surveys, allowing respondents to answer questions in their own words; and observation, where you look for evidence relating to your hypothesis. Select one method or use multiple methods, but establish a specific means to gather information. For example, you may decide to test a medicine on a group of people, carefully watching their physical reactions for any positive or negative signs that the medicine is working.
The information-gathering phase involves putting your research design into effect, selecting subjects for your experiment and carrying out your research. In qualitative experimentation, note any information you obtain, including information you expect to find as well as information you do not expect. Qualitative information gathering is open ended, gathering all the information available and then sorting through it later. For instance, you may expect your patients to be less sensitive to allergens, if your medicine is an anti-allergy pill, but it's also important to note any increase in fever, hyperactivity or any other change in behavior that you witness.
Qualitative experiments have many of the same ethical concerns as other forms of experimentation. These can include keeping the identity of your subjects anonymous in your research, providing accurate research notes when you release your findings and using effective blind research methods when testing on people -- such as dividing your subjects into groups taking a placebo and groups taking your medicine, with you having no knowledge of which group each individual is in.