essential-guide-to-qualitative-in-organizational-research

292 –––––––––– QUALITATIVE METHODS IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES ––––––––––––––––––(information about data). Data deposited must also conform to ethical and legal guidelineswith respect to the preservation of anonymity, if so, where requested. Information on theethical and legal issues surrounding informed consent, confidentiality and copyright have beenpublished by Qualidata (Corti et al., 2000), and the ESRC (1999).Creating appropriate documentation that can help the user interpret raw data sources is akey task for data archives. Three pieces of documentation are crucial to both enable discoveryof relevant data resources and informed reuse (Corti, 2002). The first is a systematic CatalogueRecord that provides a detailed overview of the study, the size and content of the dataset, itsavailability and any terms and conditions of access (UKDA, 2002). The second is a User Guidethat brings together key documentation from the research that contains information on howto use the data, how the data were collected, the original topic guides, personal researchdiaries, end of award reports, and publications. Qualidata User Guides which contain usefuland often unique research and methodological information about the study are freely availableonline via the catalogue record. Finally, a Data Listing, detailing the key characteristics of thedata or interviewees, is constructed to help users to identify particular types of interviews ortranscripts (such as women of a particular age in the sample). In many ways these definingcharacteristics are analogous to ‘variables’ in quantitative datasets. Depositors are asked toconsider that data are collected, prepared and documented in the course of conductingfieldwork or analysing data with an eye towards long-term preservation,GAINING ACCESS TO DATA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Depending on the format of materials, data can be accessed through traditional library-basedspecial collections or via a digital data archive set up to disseminate data to a distributedcommunity of users. In the case of digital materials, data are available as word processingdocuments and accessed via web download facilities or burnt on a CD-ROM. Users accessingdata are required to sign an agreement to the effect that they will not attempt to identifyindividuals when carrying out analyses.In the field of qualitative data, innovative on-line data access and analysis tools arebeginning to appear. Web-based multi-media resources including those with search andretrieve functions for text provide enhanced access and are of great value (Barker, 2002).REUSING DATA ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––How can qualitative data be reused?The reuse of qualitative data provides a unique opportunity to study the raw materials of therecent or more distant past research to gain insights for both methodological and substantivepurposes. The ways in which qualitative data can be reused have much in common with thoseapplicable to the secondary analysis of survey data. Data may be used for:Description – describing the contemporary and historical attributes, attitudes and behaviourof individuals, societies, groups or organizations. Data created now will in time become aunique historical resource.