The representation of methodological context

There is a consensus that the provision of full documentation about a project’s methodology is essential to its usefulness as archived data (see Fielding 2004). Heaton (2003: 121) asserts:

‘Clearly there is a need to document in more detail what the process of doing qualitative secondary analysis involves in practice, including methods for re-using different types and sources of data for different purposes, and whether and how informed consent has been obtained for secondary studies.’

So, the provision of methodological information in the form of documentation is considered essential. However, few studies routinely or systematically publish their methodological decisions in a ‘warts and all’ kind of way. Typically, methodological information is only published in minimal detail, and the usually ample store of documents, memos and correspondence relating to the progress of fieldwork is kept away from public view. However, as Savage (2005b) notes, deposited qualitative datasets do frequently include an eclectic variety of different kinds of testament as to the progress of fieldwork. In this section we look at what methodological information might be included and how best this should be organised and represented.

There are two kinds of methodological contextual information that need to be provided:

1. General information relating to the methodological underpinnings and data collection process of the whole dataset. Login with your password to this webpage from our own ethnographic hypermedia ethnography (EHE) for an exemplar of holistic methodological information. It is the entrance page to a ‘trail’ that documents in detail the methods we employed in the project as a whole. Following the trail grants the reader considerable insight into the actions, processes and relationships that characterised our fieldwork;

2. Particular information attached to individual data-records in order for a re-user to identify them. This is where standardisation is potentially possible, so that each record can be searched according to key variables, e.g. age & gender of participants. Login with your password to to the EHE to see this webpage as an exemplar of information that could be attached to an individual data record. It documents an interview that we conducted with the Director of the science centre, and is part of our ‘hypermedia dataset’: a web-mounted electronic resource that allows users to explore, examine and identify every data record in our dataset. Note how the information given not only identifies the participant but also situates the data record in the context of the corpus of interviews that we conducted. (Note that all names of participants have been changed. However, the image obviously identifies this participant to those who know him. We obtained permission to identify this particular participant since, as the Director of the centre, he was willing to have his interview identified as an on the record statement. Please see the section on Ethics for further exploration of these issues.)

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