I began to focus on qualitative (and mixed) secondary analysis projects about a year and a half ago, and I increasingly see the benefits that include having a sustainable approach to research. Although most of this work involves the first analysis of pre-existing data (so I might or might not be recycling the data), the resulting reports often represent the first attempt to make the data accessible and useful.
I point out to students in research methods courses this important thought: research is a limited resource because, in my experience in small to medium-sized US-based universities, research is at times treated as something that everyone needs to constantly produce more of. The increasing number of journals does increase the seeming need for product, but I fear that the growing mass of generated reports makes it more and more difficult to be aware of and eliminate duplication. One really positive thing about secondary analysis is that there is not a need to burden more participants (or tie up institutional review board resources, or print consent letters, or engage in any other processes that use and do not typically re-use resources), making it much more resource effective than some primary efforts. So, I aim to move into and through 2020 with a renewed focus on sustainable and useful research. One question I struggle with, that I want to share, is to what extent it is OK to compromise in quality and still rationalize taking on a given research project? This comes to my mind as an IRB member when I hear about small scale research projects that I fear will result in unpublishable, perhaps unpresentable reports due to design flaws. The typical responses when I ask design or quality questions have to do with time, narrow aims, student needs (i.e., thesis or undergraduate projects), etc. But if participants are involved (directly or otherwise), isn't it unethical to engage in research that most likely can never really be disseminated (or has such profound limitations as to be practically useless if it is)? So those are some things I will consider and be inspired by going into 2020.
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AuthorI am Sheryl L. Chatfield, Ph.D, C.T.R.S. I am a member of the faculty in the College of Public Health at Kent State University. I also Co-coordinate the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research and I am a member of the Design Innovation Team at Kent State. Archives
February 2024
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