qualitative data - Information Matters

How do Information Science researchers describe their use of qualitative methods? What do they say about their approach to different steps in the research process such as dates of data collection, people involved in the research process, and whether they’ve obtained ethics board approval for their work? What information gets left out? These questions lie at the heart of ongoing conversations around trust in research and the reusability of research data across the academic landscape.

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March 8, 2024 Sheng-Hsiang Lance Peng

Monsters in Qualitative Data

In social sciences research, researchers acknowledge their identity and standpoint concerning participants, yet often neglect to integrate this awareness into the analysis phase. Reflexivity is linked to both our self-perceptions and our views of the world, reflecting our personal standpoint. This underscores the importance of recognising the presence of ‘monsters’ within qualitative data. In the context of qualitative analysis, monsters symbolise more than mere creatures of folklore or mythological beings. Instead, they represent manifestations of societal fears, anxieties, and cultural complexities that lurk beneath the surface of human experience. These monsters embody the collective imagination and subconscious of a society, reflecting its deepest fears, desires, and uncertainties.