Documenting Reproducibility: The Integral Role of Documentation in Transparent Qualitative Research

An international drive for open data has been growing since the early 2000s to promote greater reproducibility within research. This has culminated in Wilkinson’s et al (2016) guidelines for FAIR data. As these calls for reproducibility and FAIR data are codified in data policies and publishing ethics, it raises difficult questions for qualitative researchers for how transparency can be consistently and ethically demonstrated within their projects. Using observations and findings from a systematic review of over 1000 qualitative collections held at the UK Data Service, this presentation presents an archive’s point-of-view of how innovative ways of documenting data and new curation tools can provide support for demonstrating process and analytic transparency in qualitative research. I outline key ways that good practices in data management and curation support transparency, as well enhanced ways that go further in showing research integrity. As part of this discussion, I introduce exemplary case studies from the UK Data Service’s collections and qualitative-specific tools developed at the UK Data Service which exemplify the core principles of transparency and reproducibility in qualitative research. Reflecting on the recent developments in curation, this presentation offers qualitative researchers new possibilities for constructively responding to calls for reproducibility, as well as providing further guidance on how policies and procedures might take into account the specific needs of qualitative data.