Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is ESDS Qualidata?
Who can obtain qualitative data?
How much will it cost?
How do I gain access to the qualitative data?
What formats are the data available in?
Are there any restrictions on the use of data?
What data does ESDS Qualidata support?
What value-added products does ESDS Qualidata produce?
What support and training does ESDS Qualidata provide for data users?
What support does ESDS Qualidata offer data creators and depositors?
How do I get help?
What is ESDS Qualidata?
The Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) is a national data service that came into operation in January 2003.
ESDS Qualidata is a specialist service of the ESDS led by the UK Data Archive (UKDA)
at the University of Essex. The service provides access and support for a range of social science qualitative datasets, promoting and
facilitating increased and more effective use of data in research, learning and teaching. The work builds on Qualidata's expertise and international
reputation in this area.
Data are typically acquired via the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Datasets Policy
requiring all research grant award holders to offer data collected during the course of their research for preservation and sharing through
the ESDS. As a result ESDS Qualidata works closely with data creators to ensure that high quality and well-documented qualitative data are produced.
The service provides both general guidance and a dedicated advisory service for data creators and depositors.
ESDS Qualidata is committed to creating value-added data resources as well as developing online access to qualitative data within appropriate
ethical and legal frameworks.
Who can obtain qualitative data?
Researchers, students and teachers from all fields and types of organisation may register with the ESDS and obtain data. However, some
datasets may have restrictions on access. For example, commercial usage may be restricted, permission may be required from the depositor or
publications may need to be vetted by the sponsoring organisation. Details are available in
the Terms and
conditions section.
How much will it cost?
Academics, teachers and students in the UK HE/FE sector can obtain data at no cost (other than the costs of media).
Other fees may apply depending upon the user's status. See Charges.
How do I gain access to the qualitative data?
ESDS Qualidata offers a resource discovery hub via the Data Catalogue,
enabling users to locate accessible sources of qualitative data across the UK. However to access data, all users must register. Web pages on Accessing data
will take you through the process. In cases where non-digital material is required ESDS Qualidata should then be contacted directly.
What formats are the data available in?
Most modern research has been deposited in machine-readable, that is to say digital formats such as Word or
RTF files. Where there are no access restrictions these are available through
ESDS via web downlowd, ordering or in some cases, online data browsing (Qualidata Online). Older research has generally been deposited in paper format at external paper archives. These paper collections are cited in the
Data Catalogue as "virtual collections". Some paper collections are stored in our own
specialist paper archive, the
National Social Policy and Social Change Archive, or in other
national archives across the UK.
Are there any restrictions on the use of data?
Restrictions on the use of the surveys are outlined in
the Terms and
conditions that all users agree to during registration. In particular there is a fundamental
restriction on the confidentiality of data. Users should not attempt to use the data to deliberately compromise the
confidentiality of individuals or households and are required to abide by the current Data Protection Act. This
agreement also covers requirements for citation of publications and safeguarding of data.
Sharing
data with colleagues, other researchers or students must always be authorised in advance.
Certain datasets may also require depositor permission and details are available in the 'Access' section of each
ESDS catalogue record.
What data does ESDS Qualidata support?
ESDS Qualidata acquires data created during the course of qualitative research across a wide range of social science disciplines.
Data supported include: in-depth and semi-structured interviews; focus groups; field notes and observations; documents and photographs.
The service provides access to classic post-war studies of British society including:
- Peter Townsend's collection featuring studies on poverty and the life of older people, Family Life of Old
People (1955), The Last Refuge (1959) and Poverty in the UK (1979)
- Paul Thompson's collection comprising the major life history interview study The Edwardians (1975)
- Stan Cohen's Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1967) focusing on the genesis and development of the 'moral panic'
- Dennis Marsden's and Brian Jackson's research papers including their data for Education and the Working Class (1962)
- John H. Goldthorpe et al. The Affluent Worker (1962) undertaken to test the thesis of working class embourgeoisement
Data are selected according to the ESDS Collections Development Policy that considers: the relative importance of the
study; the format, usability and condition of the materials; the potential scope for re-use; and issues of copyright and confidentiality.
While the emphasis is on acquiring digital data, ESDS Qualidata continues to facilitate both resource discovery of qualitative sources
archived in the UK and the preservation of important large paper collections.
What value-added products does ESDS Qualidata produce?
ESDS Qualidata adds value to data for the research, learning and teaching communities by:
- enhancing user-oriented information about data to provide a better understanding of the study and research methods, including documentation and 'behind
the scenes' interviews with depositors
- allowing users to browse the content before they decide to acquire the data, via
web-based samplers of key qualitative datasets and links to methodological information
- providing guidance on how to use data resources, for example through thematic web pages, FAQs,
bibliographies of articles, case studies and commentaries on re-use
- enhancing through data processing, ensuring that interview data are fully anonymised, are in an appropriate digital
format, have speakers tags assigned in interview text, have a detailed data listing as an enhanced finding aid to the
collection and have dedicated online user guides and associated web pages
- enhancing access to data via web delivery of marked-up primary data, such as interview transcripts,
using XML standards and tools to facilitate rapid and flexible retrieval of information.
- creating flexible access to digital qualitative data, via the UKDA web-based download system
and online browsing of data - the Edwardians Online project represents the first phase of this plan of work
- facilitating
access to key qualitative collections held elsewhere, in partnership with the hosting archive, to allow use in research and teaching
What support and training does ESDS Qualidata provide for data users?
ESDS Qualidata provides:
- a help desk service operated by email (qualidata@esds.ac.uk) and telephone +44 (0)1206 873058
- a JISCmail list for parties interested in using qualitative data, for discussion and to receive updates. You can join this by sending the message subscribe esds-qualidata to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk
- web-based Frequently Asked Questions
- a quarterly newsletter - UK Databytes
- products that enhance access and understanding to our data collections such as user guides and lists of common variables
- workshops, conferences and courses on:
- qualitative datasets and their potential
- key topics of interest
- access to some of the unique aspects of the datasets
- topic-related online course materials and a range of teaching datasets
What support does ESDS Qualidata offer data creators and depositors?
ESDS Qualidata provides specialist support for creators and depositors of qualitative data, especially ESRC award holders.
Researchers are advised to seek guidance from ESDS Qualidata at an early stage in their project to ensure
that the sharing of their data will be possible. Data should be collected and prepared in accordance with ethical and
legal requirements and should be fully supported by adequate documentation that will enable informed secondary use.
Examples of good practice are: in-depth interviews transcribed in word-processed format; audio-recordings of good
sound quality, and in digital format where possible; and informed consent and confidentiality concerns addressed prior to
data collection. ESDS Qualidata has a dedicated
help desk to provide advice to researchers and depositors.
How do I get help?
You can email ESDS Qualidata help desk or telephone
+44 (0)1206 873058.
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