Our Archiving Process

This section is for those who are interested in how qualitative researchers can approach the process of preparing their data for archiving and sharing – ethically and practically. It offers an account of a specific experience: that of a longstanding team of researchers specifically funded to explore how to go about preparing a QL dataset retrospectively. In this context, it was possible to develop a ‘belt and braces’ approach that others may not have the resources to adopt. For us, it was the only way we felt comfortable ‘letting go’ of our data without, as far as humanly possible, compromising our participants’ privacy and trust. Developing a system for anonymising transcripts that maintains richness and detail, as well as the ‘flow’ of participants’ words and stories took time and a great deal of reflection. We have tried to capture something of this prolonged, iterative and labour intensive process here. You can follow our progress over time through the minefield of issues such as managing data , selecting the first ten cases, gaining consent for archiving , whether and how to anonymise the data by clicking on each project below. You can also review debates around the re-use of qualitative data and find out about our motivations for setting out on this journey. You can also read more about how we approached contextualising the study here.

(Retrospective) longitudinal case archiving: The 13 steps

1. Case selection
2. Assess need for anonymisation
3. Develop enhancing & anonymistion guidelines
4. Establish initial consent
5. Collate and digitize data
6. Pursue written consent
7. Consult respondent during anonymisation process
8. Enhance all transcripts for a case
9. Reflect on the ‘meaning’ and significance of the story and facts told both for the young person and those around them
10. Anonymise transcripts, tracking changes in standard tables, recording notes on the process, and consulting with team as anonymisation issues arise
11. Revisit anonymisation of earlier transcripts as learning accumulates and young people give feedback
12. Cross-check all enhanced & anonymised cases and standardise
13. Deposit enhanced and anonymised data with Qualidata