The intent of this paper has been to introduce qualitative methods to arthritis researchers and provide them with basic skills to critically evaluate results of qualitative research. Qualitative research provides the arthritis researcher with the opportunity to look at the meaning that the subject places on his or her behavior, their knowledge of their condition and of its treatment, and the meaning they infer from the actions of those around them, including their care providers and social supports. If carefully conducted, qualitative research methods can produce rich and insightful findings. We have limited our discussion to an overview of qualitative research and data collection methods. We will discuss issues related to how participants are selected and methods of data analysis in a subsequent paper.