The authors assert that differences between qualitative and quantitative approaches are not paradigmatic in the Kuhnian sense of scientific revolutions. They also contend that there are important links between a feminist ethos in the social sciences and qualitative methods and that both qualitative and quantitative methods seek to increase the credibility of research findings and may benefit from conceptual cross-fertilization. In addition, the authors suggest that value and political questions in spouse abuse research cannot be reduced to methodological questions. Challenges faced by qualitative researchers and shortcomings of qualitative research on spouse abuse are examined. Recommendations to improve the credibility of spouse abuse research are offered that focus on methodological diversity and rigor in efforts to understand spousal violence. 57 references and 5 notes