... After searching the tables of contents and indexes for the term rigor, it was interesting to discover that this word, although often used when discussing research methods, did not appear in the indexes of any of the research method books selected. However, the term rigor does appear in many of the books in reference to discussions about objectivity, neutrality, reliability, replication, and validity (e.g., Barzun & Graft, 1992;Daly, 1996;deVous, 1995;Greenfield, 1996;Kellahear, 1993;McNally, 1979;Neuman, 1997;Oakley, 1992;Riley, 1990;Sarantakos, 1998;Silverman 1993). The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines rigor, in a literal sense, to mean "severity, strictures, harshness, harsh measures, strict enforcement of rules" (Sykes, 1985, p. 898). ...