Research Ethics, Data Handling, and Qualitative Methods in Social Science

Consent

Permission given by a participant to take part in research; must be free, informed, and ongoing.

Undue Influence

Pressure caused by power imbalance that affects voluntary consent (e.g., professor → student).

Coercion

Extreme pressure or threat forcing someone to participate in research.

"Do No Harm" Principle

Core ethical rule that research should not harm participants.

Research Ethics Board (REB)

Committee that reviews and approves research involving human participants.

Expedited Review

Ethics review for low-risk research.

Full Board Review

Ethics review for higher-risk research.

Physical Risk

Risk of injury or physical harm.

Economic Risk

Risk of financial loss (e.g., job loss).

Social Risk

Risk to reputation or social standing.

Psychological Risk

Emotional harm (stress, anxiety, trauma).

Privacy Risk

Risk of personal information being exposed.

Direct Identifiers

Information that directly identifies a person (name, SIN, health number).

Indirect Identifiers

Information that could identify someone when combined (DOB + location).

Anonymous Data

Data that never had identifiers.

Anonymized Data

Data where identifiers are permanently removed.

Coded Data

Data where identifiers are replaced with codes but can be re-linked.

Privacy

A person's right to control access to themselves.

Confidentiality

Researcher's responsibility to protect participant data.

Physical Safeguards

Locked cabinets, secure physical storage.

Administrative Safeguards

Rules about who can access data.

Technical Safeguards

Passwords, encryption, digital security.

Coding (Qualitative Analysis)

Process of identifying and labeling patterns/themes in data.

NVivo

Software used for qualitative data analysis.

Pile Sorting

Method where participants group items into categories based on similarity.

Diary Methods

Participants record daily entries about their lives in real time.

Triangulation

Using multiple methods to improve validity and depth of research.

Informed Consent (Anthropology)

Participants must understand research and agree voluntarily, but methods vary culturally.

Ethical Responsibility

Researchers must consider impacts on participants, society, and institutions.

Political Engagement vs Objectivity

Debate on whether researchers should stay neutral or advocate for change.

Anonymity in Writing

Protecting participant identity when publishing research.

Ethical Dilemma

Situation with no clear right answer requiring careful judgment.

Free Listing

Participants list all items they know in a category to reveal cultural knowledge.

Salience

Importance of items based on frequency and order in lists.

Sentence Frames

Yes/no statements used to test beliefs.

Triad Test

Participants choose which two of three items are most similar.

Pile Sorts (Cognitive Method)

Grouping items to understand how people organize knowledge.

Ranking / Paired Comparison

Participants rank or compare items to show priorities and values.

Codebook

Structured guide with codes, definitions, and rules for analyzing qualitative data.

Codes

Labels used to categorize data.

Intercoder Reliability

Consistency between different coders.

Structural Coding

Coding based on interview structure/questions.

Interpretive Coding

Coding that identifies deeper meaning in data.

Reflexivity

Researcher reflecting on their own identity and influence in research.

Visual-Centrism

Over-reliance on sight in research methods.

Sensory Ethnography

Using multiple senses (touch, sound, movement) in research.

Non-Visual Communication

Communication through voice, tone, and touch.

Embodied Knowledge

Knowledge gained through bodily experience. car accident

Power Relations (in research)

Dynamic relationship between researcher and participant.

Video Diaries

Participants record their experiences on video.

Absent Presence

Researcher is not physically present but still influences data.

Confessional Video

Personal, emotional reflections to camera. Lucys confession in tell melies

Tourist Log Video

Focus on environment rather than personal experience.

Participant Burden

Effort required by participants that can reduce data quality.

Performance Effect

Participants alter behavior because they are being recorded.