ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the research data life cycle which extends the research process beyond just disseminating research findings. It addresses archiving qualitative data so data are preserved for reuse by other researchers. As data sharing and secondary qualitative data analysis gain popularity, the typical research cycle needs to be extended. In metadata for a qualitative dataset field notes can be valuable in documenting contextual information. The UK Data Service collection includes qualitative data. The qualitative database began as Qualidata in 1994. Qualidata was housed within the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex. The Timescapes Archive specializes in qualitative longitudinal data which forms part of an institutional repository at the University of Leeds and conforms to international archiving standards. The Qualitative Data Repository’s mission is to archive for storing and sharing digital data and its related documentation for qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences.
