School of Social and Political Science

Description

The purpose of this Exploratory Lunch is to update SPS qualitative researchers about the University of Edinburgh policies and resources.

The principles of “open science” are shaping institutional procedures, funders’ requirements, and journal publication practices. Calls for data transparency, accessibility and accountability are widespread, and Plan S has already transformed the publishing landscape. For many qualitative researchers, these developments are at best perplexing and at worst alarming, not least because the standard conventions for collecting and storing qualitative data involve concealing subjects’ identities and keeping fieldnotes and transcripts private.

How can ethnographic and interview methodologies be adapted to achieve data transparency without compromising the protections required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? When planning projects, what arrangements should be made for sharing or archiving (ethically sensitive) data? Can the case be made to funders and journals for restricting access to qualitative data for reasons of security and confidentiality? What is involved in making publications open access? 

The purpose of this session is to update SPS qualitative researchers about the relevant University of Edinburgh policies and resources, and to explore how expectations related to open research can be navigated through the presentation of case studies.

Panellists: 

• Veronica Cano, Scholarly Communications Officer 
• Rena Gertz, Data Protection Officer 
• Tobias Kelly, Professor of Political and Legal Anthropology 
• Simon Smith, Research Data Support Officer 
• Alice Street, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology 

Chaired by: Lisa McCormick, Deputy Director of Research (Data and Open Research)