About ESDS Qualidata
ESDS Qualidata is a specialist service of the ESDS led by the
UK Data Archive (the Archive) 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.
The
service's focus is on acquiring digital data collections from purely qualitative and mixed methods contemporary
research and from UK-based 'classic studies'. Data are typically acquired via the ESRC Research Data Policy that
requires all research grant award holders to offer data collected during the course of their research for
preservation and sharing through the ESDS. ESDS Qualidata works closely with data creators to ensure that
high quality and well-documented qualitative data are produced. General guidance and a dedicated advisory service
for data creators and depositors on research project management, issues of confidentiality and consent, and documentation of
data for archiving are provided.
ESDS Qualidata offers a resource discovery hub via the Data Catalogue,
enabling users to locate accessible sources of qualitative data across the UK. ESDS Qualidata facilitates the preservation of important large
paper collections, and where appropriate, digitises samples of these collections. The service is committed to creating value-added data
resources through enriched data context as well as developing authenticated online access to qualitative data. Related research and development
work undertaken by ESDS Qualidata staff have provided some important methodological and technical developments for sharing qualitative data.
Finally, ESDS Qualidata offers user support and
training to encourage professional researchers and research students alike to make full use of the rich
sources of archived qualitative data.
More about ESDS Qualidata...
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