Key Concepts

Rigorous qualitative and mixed-methods research requires openness in data and research materials, and transparency regarding methodology and analyses. Therefore, when possible, researchers should disclose how data was generated and analysed, how this analysis supports their claims, and share the data whenever it is ethical and legal. 

• Open Research “is the practice of making the processes and outputs of research transparent and freely accessible, whenever possible”. Open research entails sharing detailed information about a project's epistemological approach, research methods, and data or evidence. This includes the project's purpose, funding, ethical commitments to protecting identities and sensitive information. 

  • FAIR principles: In terms of evidence, openness means making data “open as possible and close as necessary”, using the FAIR principles - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. This has the objective of making data, and research outputs more available to, and reusable by, others. 

  • CARE principles: The CARE Principles - Collective benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility and Ethics - for Indigenous Data Governance prioritise the rights to derive value from Indigenous data in alignment with Indigenous worldviews. These principles are people-centred, highlighting the role of data in promoting Indigenous innovation and self-determination. They complement existing FAIR principles by advocating for a holistic approach that considers both ethical considerations and the intended societal impact of data movements.

  • Open research also means reaching various audiences, such as participants and their communities, research collaborators, broader research communities, practitioners, governmental and non-governmental entities, and the public.

• Research Transparency involves disclosing in publications the processes used to generate and analyse the data that underpin claims and conclusions, and potentially sharing those data when ethically and legally permissible. Transparency includes revealing how data were produced and analysed, as well as the challenges, problems or dilemmas encountered during the research and how these were overcome or shaped the research. Transparency in research should be applied to all elements of research, including:

  • Key Parameters: Topic, scope, objectives, epistemological approach and its implications, identity/affiliation of the researcher, funding, and collaborators.

  • Data collection: Methods and processes applied for data collection and research conduct, including time spent in research sites, degree of immersion, participant recruitment, interactions between researchers and participants, ethical dilemmas and their resolution, prompts for exchanges with respondents, and the evidence management plan. This also includes discussions of ethical practices and dilemmas encountered and how they were navigated or mitigated.

  • Evidence: Detailed descriptions or actual evidence that supports claims and conclusions, such as interview transcripts (complete or excerpts), notes from participant observations, and co-constructed narratives with respondents. This also entails providing original text or translations of material/evidence which contribute to the researchers' arguments and analysis.

  • Analytical Approach: Explanation of how evidence was analysed and how it supports the claims and conclusions. 

  • Conclusions: Presentation of core empirical and theoretical results and findings.