Marginalizing Qualitative Knowledge: Ethical and Epistemic Tensions in Medical Research Cultures

This paper examines the challenges of qualitative research in medical contexts through our position as qualitative researchers, bioethicists, and ethics committee members in Turkey.We explore how biomedical paradigm dominance shapes qualitative research evaluation in medical settings, arguing that qualitative understanding is essential to medical knowledge production, not merely a methodological choice.Through experiential insights, we identify critical issues: insufficient methodological awareness among researchers, limited recognition of qualitative paradigms by ethics committees, and persistent epistemic injustice in evaluation processes, even within traditionally receptive fields.These challenges arise from deeper philosophical tensions rather than procedural difficulties.We propose reflexivity as both a methodological requirement and and ethical virtue to address qualitative research marginalization in medicine.Our analysis contributes to discussions about the relationship between ethics and science in qualitative research while offering practical insights for improving evaluation and support of qualitative methodologies in medical contexts.