Qualitative tools
How to approach qualitative research?
Qualitative research relies on data obtained by the researcher from first-hand observation, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, participant-observation, recordings made in natural settings, documents, and artifacts. Presented documents from Humanitarian Research Toolkit aim to provide guidance on how to design, collect, transcribe and analyze qualitative research data.
Ethics and Confidentiality
Before starting data collection, check whether you are required to obtain ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board. This is required if you are conducting research with humans.
β’If you are hiring a transcriber, it is recommended that he/she sign a confidentiality agreement to prevent the disclosure of participantsβ personal information.
β’Researchers will need to determine when personally-identifying information (PII) should be removed from the transcript. This may be at the time of transcription, in which case, transcribers should be informed of what constitutes PII and what placeholders should be used (for instance, with the following notation: [city street]). If in doubt, consult the overseeing Institutional Review Board for advice.
β’As explained in πQualitative transcription and translation: DOC highly accurate transcripts(with representations of accents and verbal idioms) may risk exposing participantsβ identities. Consider this risk when instructing transcribers on the level of detail and representation required for the purposes of the analysis.
Download tools:
π Qualitative Methods Resources
π Qualitative transcription and translation: DOC
π Focus Groups - Guidance
π Focus Groups - Guidance - French
