Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big Data Era

Abstract

This article examines the developments that have motivated this special issue on Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big Data Era. The article offers a broad overview of many pressing challenges and opportunities that the Big Data era raises particularly for qualitative research. Big Data has introduced to the social sciences new data sources, new research methods, new researchers, and new forms of data storage that have immediate and potential effects on the ethics and practice of qualitative research. Drawing from a literature review and insights gathered at a National Science Foundation-funded workshop in 2016, we present five principles for qualitative researchers and their institutions to consider in navigating these emerging research landscapes. These principles include (a) valuing methodological diversity; (b) encouraging research that accounts for and retains context, specificity, and marginalized and overlooked populations; (c) pushing beyond legal concerns to address often messy ethical dilemmas; (d) attending to regional and disciplinary differences; and (e) considering the entire lifecycle of research, including the data afterlife in archives or in open-data facilities.

Grasping at digitalisation: turning imagination into fact in the sugarcane farming community

“…We followed principles of responsible research ethics in the big data era by valuing diversity in various forms for example: including different interviewee perceptions and levels of project involvement (Sorrell 2018 ); not shying away from a contentious research space; providing nuance to the regional context; and reaching out to multiple sectoral stakeholders (Hesse et al 2019 ). This project included interviews with ‘practitioner’ stakeholders at different points of the knowledge and advice network value chain (researchers, advisors and farmers that were both involved and not involved in the specific research) (Brandt et al 2013 ).…”

Routledge Handbook of Gender and Agriculture

“…However, it does little to address the tension between complexity and intersectionality on the one hand, and on the other, the desire to distinguish what is case-specific, even idiosyncratic from what is more extensive, forming patterns that can be distinguished and identified. One effort to address this issue is the exploration of case studies and big data, especially how the methods can be applied to qualitative and case studies (Hesse et al, 2019). GENNOVATE, coordinated qualitative case comparative research on gender norms and practices in 137 rural communities in 26 countries conducted by members of the CGIAR system, illustrates both the challenges and potential of this work (Petesch et al, 2018).…”

Crowdfunding System Models in the African Context: The Susu and Yibima Concepts in Ghana

“…We used an exploratory and inductive research approach to help set the narrative in the right context and to cater for the biases of the respondents (Alsharari and Al-Shboul, 2019). This approach is quite interactive and it gave the researchers an optional viewpoint and free interpretation of the elements of the study (Kaczynski et al, 2014;Hesse et al, 2019). In addition, it gave a better in-depth understanding and related specific observations to a more generalized point of view to relate the study to the changing environment.…”

“…Ultimately, regarding the interviewee type, the structure began with background information and questions relating to crowdfunding as alternate funding source for business ventures which were asked (Elliott, 2018). Prior to the preparation of the data for analysis, the interviews which were recorded on audio tapes were transcribed (Hesse et al, 2019). After setting out plans for the data analysis for the study, the recorded interviews were transcribed into a data set.…”