Joseph A. Maxwell is a professor (Emeritus) in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. His doctoral degree is in anthropology, but for the past 35 years, his research and teaching has been mainly in education, with an increasing focus on methodology. He is the author of Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach (3rd ed., 2013) and A Realist Approach for Qualitative Research (2012), as well as articles on qualitative and mixed methods research, Native American societies, and medical education. His current research deals with using qualitative methods for causal explanation, validity in qualitative and quantitative research, the history and breadth of mixed-methods research, the value of philosophic realism for research, and the importance of diversity and dialogue across research paradigms and methods.