What is "data saturation" in research?

Data saturation refers to the stage in qualitative research where the collection of data no longer yields new insights or information relevant to the research questions. At this point, researchers have gathered enough data to understand the phenomenon being studied, and any additional data collection would simply be a repetition of what has already been learned. This concept is crucial in qualitative research methodologies, such as interviews or focus groups, where the goal is to explore participants' perspectives deeply.

Achieving data saturation is an indicator that the research has reached a comprehensive understanding of the topic, allowing researchers to focus on analyzing and interpreting the collected information rather than continuing to gather potentially redundant data. This ensures efficiency in the research process and supports the validity and reliability of the findings.