Qualitative Transparency Deliberations

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

If you’re just arriving at the site, here’s a map to some of the issues that we’ve been discussing so far (as of 5/11). Click on a question below to see a set of links on the topic.

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet. These discussion boards will remain open until May 22.

What does the pursuit of transparency mean for specific research approaches, such as ethnography, interpretive work, or QCA?

What transparency practices are of value?

What do we mean by “transparency” anyway? What about forms of transparency beyond the DA-RT framework, such as being explicit about how research design choices were made or about positionality?

What ethical and human-subject protection issues confront the pursuit of transparency?

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• What does data-sharing concretely mean?

• What are the costs of and obstacles to data-sharing, and how might these differently affect scholars employing different methods or working at different kinds of institutions?

• How beneficial is greater sharing of qualitative data?

• How could data access rules affect researchers’ incentives or ability to undertake certain kinds of research?

• How central are “data” to qualitative political analysis? What counts as data?

What does analytic transparency look like in qualitative research?

What do we think of journals’ current transparency policies?

Who should judge whether research is sufficiently transparent? Should we have transparency rules? Organically evolving norms? Acknowledged best practices?

What are the implications of transparency rules for graduate training?

How might DA-RT affect public perceptions of political science?

What are the benefits of research transparency in general? (See above for benefits of data access in particular.)

How should QTD Working Groups be defined?

What role does transparency play in the evaluation of research? What alternative criteria or tools of evaluation do/should scholars employ?

What should be QTD working group foci?

What are the implications of “the right of first use” for the pursuit of transparency?

Please join one of the discussions above, or start your own by clicking "New Topic"!

If you'd like to comment on this summary, please email the Steering Committee Co-Chairs here.

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What does the pursuit of transparency mean for specific research approaches?

• Ethnography:
See Steering Committee query here
-Data Access – Discourage Original Data Production?
-Transparency, openness, & ethnography in democratic contexts
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-What might “transparency" look like for ethnographers?

• Interview-based research:
See Steering Committee query here
-Re:[From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Very Undesirable Unintended Consequences
-Transparency, openness, & ethnography in democratic contexts
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-Right to be Forgotten?
-Against “requirements”
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Data access – human subjects protections
-Re: Data access – human subjects protections
-No place for my work in this debate
-Re: Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Research in non-democratic countries

• Interpretive political science:
-Reflections on DA-RT (three points)
-Re: "Truth" or DARE: Let's Replace "Transparency" with "Explicitness"

• Research in contexts of political violence:
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-Do no harm
-Data access-human subjects protections
-Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) on DA-RT
-What is openness/transparency/explicitness in violence/contentious politics research?
-Research in non-democratic countries

• Research in authoritarian or repressive settings or contexts of stark power asymmetries:
-Research in non-democratic countries
-Just back from fieldwork
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-Do no harm
-Data access-human subjects protections
-Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) on DA-RT
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Some thoughts on REP and QTD

• Research based on documentary evidence:
See the Steering Committee query on "Active Citation vs the Meaty Footnote."
Plus these topics and posts:
-Re: Against “requirements”
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practice
-DA-RT: effect on graduate training
-[From Steering Comm.] What might qualitative data access look like?
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?

• QCA:
-DA-RT Vader and QCA

• The study of political development:
-Transparency in APD Research

• Interdisciplinary research:
-Interdisciplinary Research

• Political theory:
-Political Theory and DA-RT

• Qualitative as compared to quantitative research:
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Against “requirements”

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What transparency practices are of value?
-Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Resource: Oral History Principles and Best Practices
-What are the implications of transparency rules for graduate training?
-A Brighter Side to Data Dissemination
-Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Transparency in APD Research

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What do we mean by “transparency” anyway? What about forms of transparency beyond the DA-RT framework, such as being explicit about how research design choices were made or about positionality?
-“Truth” or DARE: Let’s Replace “Transparency” with “Explicitness”
-CP Newsletter: editorial or ideology?
-No place for my work in this debate
-Security Research and DA-RT
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Preregistration (or lack thereof)
-On the tip of the iceberg
-What might “transparency" look like for ethnographers?
-What is openness/transparency/explicitness in violence/contentious politics research?
-Transparency in hiring, promotion, etc.

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What ethical and human-subject protection issues confront the pursuit of transparency?
-Data access – discourage original data production?
-Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) on DA-RT
-Beyond the qual/qant divide
-Do no harm
-Data access – human subjects protections
-Research in non-democratic countries
-Right to be Forgotten?
-Security Research and DA-RT
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Transparency, openness, & ethnography in democratic contexts
-Re: Research in non-democratic countries
-Just back from fieldwork
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Re: Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Some thoughts on REP and QTD

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• What does data-sharing concretely mean?
-Very Undesirable Unintended Consequences
-Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-What might qualitative data access look like?
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Journal standards in practice

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• What are the costs of and obstacles to data-sharing, and how might these differently affect scholars employing different methods or working at different kinds of institutions or at different career stages?
-Data access – costs and inequality
-CP newsletter: editorial or ideology?
-Beyond the qual/quant divide
-Problems with assumption of APSR response
-Questionable benefits, Disproportionate costs, Narrowing of future research
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Against “requirements”
-Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-What might qualitative data access look like?
-Right to be Forgotten?
-Re: Right to be Forgotten?
-Re: Transparency in APD research
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Research in non-democratic countries

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• How beneficial is greater sharing of qualitative data?
Some have argued that the benefits of greater sharing of qualitative data are limited...
-A pointless DA-RT
-Data access – costs and inequality
-Questionable benefits, Disproportionate costs, Narrowing of future research
-False Equivalences
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Re: Access to the broader evidentiary record in Congruence Analysis
-No place for my work in this debate
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: DA-RT: Effect on graduate training
-PS article on the first months of DA-RT
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Re: Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Against “requirements”


....while others see those benefits as substantial.
-Re: CP newsletter: editorial or ideology
-A Brighter Side to Data Dissemination
-DA-RT: effect on graduate training
-Very Undesirable Unintended Consequences
-Data access – human subjects protections

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• How could data access rules affect researchers’ incentives or ability to undertake certain kinds of research?
-Data access – discourage original data production?
-Very Undesirable Unintended Consequences
-Harms in study of identity, and forgotten agency
-Data access – human subjects protections
-Re: Data access – human subjects protections
-Research in non-democratic countries
-Foreign Policy and Security Research
-DA-RT: Effect on graduate training
-Security Research and DA-RT
-Re: CP newsletter: editorial or ideology?
-Re: CP newsletter: editorial or ideology?
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Transparency, openness, & ethnography in democratic contexts
-Just back from fieldwork
-Graduate Student concerns
-Very undesirable unintended consequences
-Interview-based research and the pros and cons of transparency
-Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Do no harm
-Against “requirements”
-No place for my work in this debate
-Re: Inviting input on specific transparency practices

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

There’s been extensive discussion of data-sharing rules and their implications, around questions such as:

• How central are “data” to qualitative political analysis? What counts as data?
-Data access – what is data and who decides?
-DA-RT Approach Misses Important Aspects of Qualitative Research

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What does analytic transparency look like in qualitative research?

-Access to the broader evidentiary record in Congruence Analysis
-Re: "Truth" or DARE: Let's Replace "Transparency" with "Explicitness"
-Preregistration (or lack thereof)

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What do we think of journals’ current transparency policies?
-Journal standards in practice
-Re: DA-RT: effect on graduate training
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-AJPS badges
-Just back from fieldwork
-PS article on the first months of DA-RT
-A Brighter Side to Data Dissemination
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] What might qualitative data access look like?
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Active citation versus the meaty footnote
-Journal standards in practice

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

Who should judge whether research is sufficiently transparent? Should we have transparency rules? Organically evolving norms? Acknowledged best practices?
-Who are the gatekeepers? Editors or reviewers?
-Re: Data access – human subjects protections
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-Re: Against “requirements”
-Re: Against “requirements”
-Graduate Student concerns
-A Brighter Side to Data Dissemination
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-What might "transparency" look like for ethnographers?
-Journal standards in practice
-Very Undesirable Unintended Consequences
-CP newsletter: editorial or ideology?
-Against "requirements"
-Re: Against "requirements"

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What are the implications of transparency rules for graduate training?
-DA-RT: effect on graduate training
-Graduate Student concerns
-Re: No place for my work in this debate
-Re: [From Steering Comm.] Inviting input on specific transparency practices
-Re: Against “requirements”

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

How might DA-RT affect public perceptions of political science?
-DA-RT will not raise or restore public trust in our discipline
-DA-RT will cause contempt for the political science profession among political professionals

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What are the benefits of research transparency in general? (See here for discussion of benefits of data access in particular.)
-Graduate Student concerns
-Doing the thing right and doing the right thing
-Against “requirements”

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

How should the QTD Working Groups be defined?
-How should QTD Working Groups be defined?

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What role does transparency play in the evaluation of research? What alternative criteria or tools of evaluation do/should scholars employ?
-What is openness/transparency/explicitness in violence/contentious politics research?
-Do no harm

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What should be QTD working group foci?
-Re: Are qualitative researchers held to a higher standard?
-How should the QTD Working Groups be defined?

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!

[Alan Jacobs University of British Columbia]

What are the implications of “the right of first use” for the pursuit of transparency?
-Data access and “right to first use” of newly collected quantitative data

Join the conversation by responding to any of these threads or by creating a new topic to raise an issue we haven’t gotten to yet by clicking "New Topic"!