Another set of eyes: the role of intermediaries in doing qualitative research in low-income settings in emerging markets

The involvement of various intermediaries - i.e., facilitators that mediate the relationship between the researcher, the research participants, and the research site - has been acknowledged in previous work. Yet, their role is either overlooked or glossed over. Furthermore, it is often assumed that only researchers who are outsiders in relation to the site and the research participants require intermediaries. In contrast, we show that researchers who are insiders may also need intermediaries in the field and conceptualise the researcher’s degree of insidership versus outsidership along a continuum. Arguing for the hidden but strategically vital role of intermediaries for access, data collection, and even knowledge production, we invite a more explicit and faithful account of the use of intermediaries in research. We present a typology of intermediaries, discuss their roles, and provide recommendations regarding their use including potential pitfalls and solutions for managing their involvement. Finally, we propose guidelines for reporting the use of intermediaries.