Ricerc@Sapienza

This foreword sets out to elicit reflections on the heuristic potential of integrating quality and quantity in the same research design, presenting a series of gender-sensitive essays that adopt a mixed methods perspective. In this context, as will be clarified, the theoretical/methodological issue of hidden populations (LGBT, female victims of violence, ...) is a rich area to explore. The essays can be traced back to the increasingly popular Mixed Methods Research movement which emerged in the late 1980s, which has been framed as a sort of scientific revolution in the field of social sciences.