Qualitative and mixed method research comes with unique challenges in terms of data management and sharing. This page includes topics to consider and resources to help you manage and share qualitative data responsibly.
Qualitative research seeks to explore and understand people's experiences, perceptions, and behaviors, by collecting non-numerical data like text, audio, or video. Examples of qualitative data include:
Management and analysis of qualitative data may use specialized software tools called Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS). These tools are used to annotate and tag the data using thematic codes. To determine which tool is right for you see this review of CAQDAS tool features and limitations which was conducted by researchers at the University of Surrey.
Here is a brief comparison of popular CAQDAS tools:
Atlas.ti |
nVivo |
MAXQDA |
Dedoose |
Taguette |
|
Cost |
$$$ |
$$$$* |
$$ |
$ |
open source |
Learning curve |
Steep |
Steep |
Steep |
Mid |
Low |
Ease of collaboration |
😃 |
😓 |
😐 |
😃 |
😓 |
Deidentification features |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
⛔ |
⛔ |
Advanced analysis features |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
🟨 |
⛔ |
*At UAB you have free access to NVivo, which can be downloaded from central IT. See this NVivo LibGuide for more information on getting started.
For more information on the discourse surrounding the sharing of qualitative data see these articles:
Tsai et al. 2016. Promises and pitfalls of data sharing in qualitative research. Social Science & Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.004
DuBois et al. 2023. Exchanging words: Engaging the challenges of sharing qualitative research data. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206981120
Data Types | Recommended format | Typically shared? |
Text (transcripts, other documents) | plain (.txt) or rich text (.rtf) | Maybe |
Images and video | .tif and .mp4 | No |
Geospatial data | ESRI shapefiles or GeoTIFF | Maybe |
Tabular data | .csv, .tsv, Stata, SPSS, Rdata | Yes |
CAQDAS (NVivo, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA etc.,) | .rtf or REFI* | Yes |
*REFI = Rotterdam Exchange Format Initiative: https://www.qdasoftware.org/. A standard form of sharing qualitative data so that data from different CAQDAS can be harmonized.
Qualitative data management guidance from ICPSR.
CARE principles of Indigenous Data Governance = Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics
Managing Qualitative Data online course. This interactive on-line course includes four modules with activities to walk you through the management and sharing stages throughout the research process.
The design of this page was partly adapted from Research: By Course, Subject, or Topic, by University of Arizona Libraries, © 2020 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.