A starting point is to see qualitative methods as being concerned with words, meanings, understandings and interpretation versus quantification. There are a number of qualitative approaches, including open-ended, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, focus groups, observation, participant observation, ethnography, action research, feminist research, discourse analysis, phenomenological analysis, protocol and conversational analysis, personal construct theory, case studies, grounded theory, and diaries. Many of problems associated with quantitative approaches are well known, and a number of attempts have been made to reduce them. Qualitative approaches are extensively used in forensic psychology; one area which is of particular relevance is that of cognitive distortions. The thesis developed in this chapter is that there is no 'best' approach to carrying out forensic research, as a lot will depend on the nature of the question being asked and the problem being examined.