Research Paradigm

Researchers should clarify the research paradigm guiding their project. This shapes how open data practices can be understood and implemented in visual social research, and it influences what kinds of data and documentation may be relevant for meaningful and responsible reuse. 

Openness, responsibility, and constraints  

Clarifying the research paradigm during the conceptual phase helps researchers determine: 

• What kinds of data should be documented 
• What materials may be appropriate for sharing 
• How openness can support meaningful and responsible reuse 
• How open data practices align with the ethical, legal, and contextual dimensions of visual social research 

Early reflection on the research paradigm therefore helps ensure that open data practices remain consistent with the research approach, the research context, and the responsibilities researchers have toward participants and communities. 

What counts as data? 

Depending on the research approach, the relevant data may not be limited to the visual data that will be collected and/or analyzed. To enable meaningful reuse of open data, researchers may also need to make available: 

• Contextual information 
• Analytical approaches 
• Reflexive accounts 

Reflexivity and researcher positionality 

In many forms of visual social research, especially participatory approaches and qualitative interpretative approaches, questions of reflexivity and researcher positionality are central to the production or collection, selection, editing, handling, and interpretation of data. 

 For this reason, it becomes essential to document elements such as: 

• The researcher’s role
• Power differences
• Biases
• Positionality
• Context
• Engagement 

Thus, reflexive accounts may become an essential part of the data itself, supporting a deeper understanding of how the research was conducted and how the data should be interpreted.