ESDS Qualidata: Qualitative Data

Preparation and Use

John SouthallESDS

26 November 2003

ESDS Qualidata

• provides access and support for a range of qualitative datasets, and is hosted by the UK Data Archive

• the work builds on Qualidata's expertise and international reputation in this area, developed over the past eight years

ESDS Qualidata

Qualitative data collections

• Data from National Research Council (ESRC) individual and programme research grant awards

• Data from ‘classic’ social science studies

• Other funders/sources

• Focus on DIGITAL Collections, but also facilitate paper-based archiving

Types of qualitative data

• Diverse data types: in-depth interviews ; semi-structured interviews; focus groups; oral histories; mixed methods data; open-ended survey questions; case notes/records of meetings; diaries/ research diaries

• Multi-media: audio, video, photos and text (most common is interview transcriptions)

• Formats: digital, paper, analogue audio-visual

• Data structures - differ across different ‘document types’

Classic datasets

• Peter Townsend – Poverty, old ageand Katherine Buildings

• Paul Thompson – oral history and Edwardians

• Ray Pahl –Hertfordshire Villages studies

• National Social Policy and Social Change Archive

Diverse uses for existing data

• Enrich context description• How was it really done

documentation of methods– Team “discussions” about coding– What, exactly, is “semi-structured”?

• Augment data you collect– Historical comparative case– Expand sample size

• Datasets for teaching

Good archiving = good research

• Thorough documentation

• Well organised and labelled files

• Major stages of research recorded

• Consent, copyright and related issues clarified

Characteristics of a good archived research collection

• Intellectual content

• Extensive raw data created

• Supporting documentation

• Consent

• Transcription

• Identifiers removed

• Listing

Intellectual content

• Builds on previous research

• Addresses new issues

• Innovative approach to discipline

• Innovative approach to qualitative methodology

Extensive raw data

• Types of research data assembled

– In-depth interviews– Focus groups– Field notes / participant observation– Case study notes

• Images and sound recordings

• Range of material – broad focus

Supporting Documentation• Examples

– Funding application– Description of methodology– Communication with informants on confidentiality– Coding schemes / themes– Technical details of equipment – Interview schedules– End of award report– Documentation from CAQDAS software packages, e.g.,

analytical memos– Bibliographies, resulting publications

• Anything that adds insight or aids understanding and secondary usage

Consent in Qualitative Research

• Obtained

• Clear and coherent - Examples

• Reflects needs and views of all

• Supports archiving and re-use

• Consent that works in practice

Transcribing Research 1

• Integrated into the ongoing research

• Full transcriptions or summaries

• Avoid stockpiling

• Costs and Benefits– Self transcription– Internal team transcription– External transcription

Transcribing Research 2

• Budget

– estimated number of interviews x 4 hours x 60 minute tape x hourly salary

• Examples of good and bad

• Full transcriptions– Consistent layout– Speaker tags– Line breaks– Header with identifier / other details – Checked for errors

Identifiers removed

• Confidentiality respected

• Anonymisation?

• Problems of anonymisation– Applied too weakly– Applied to strongly– Timing – Potential for distortion– Examples

• User undertakings

• Appropriate and sympathetic

Listing Research

• Contents

• Key elements– General– Specific to project

• Template approach

• Point of entry

Conclusion: Archivable Research

• Electronic Dissemination

• Suitable formats for use and preservation

• Problems of preparation– Cleaning up research– Repairing minor errors– User expectations

• Meeting users needs

Exploring qualitative data

• Topic: Health inequalities

• ESDS Qualidata | Introduction• http://www.qualidata.essex.ac.uk/

Supplemental slides

• Emergency screen dumps!

ESDS Qualidata:key activities

• enhanced user guides and digital samplers

• exemplars and case studies of re-use

• online access to qualitative data

• user support and training activities to support secondary analysis of qualitative data

Enhanced user guides and digital samplers

providing a better understanding of the study and research methods

• enhanced users guides – detailed notes on study methodology and re-use; ‘behind the scenes’ interviews with depositors; FAQs

• thematic pages – combining interviews

• digital samplers of classic sociology collections

Exemplars and case studies of re-use

providing guidance on data resources and how to re-use them

• overview of ways of re-using data

• case studies of re-use including reflections and commentary

• full bibliography of re-use articles

• online ‘packaged’ training resources

• user support and training programme

Online access to qualitative data

• new emphasis on providing direct access to collection content– supports more powerful resource discovery

– greater scope for searching and browsing content of data (supplementary to higher level study-related metadata)

– since users can search and explore content directly… can retrieve data immediately

• providing access to qualitative data via common interface (Edwardians Online)

• supporting tools for searching, retrieval, and analysis across different datasets

Qualidata Online: Edwardians Online – Phase I

Creation of a digital multimedia resource that integrates a wealth of existing primary and secondary materials:

• a catalogue of 444 interview summaries • 5 full electronic interview transcripts • thematic browsing of interview transcripts • a collection of digital sound clips • a set of contextual images of Edwardian life • background information and press reviews on the

original Paul Thompson study • details of publications based upon secondary studies

of the collection • an account of the digitization methodology

Qualidata Online