Centers within the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research provide range of support for qualitative research. Researchers using qualitative research methods, whether alone or in combination with other research methods, can find more information about the services and supports available within ISBR, as well as through other university partners. Contact us at isbr@iu.edu and we'll match you up with the resources you need.
Types of support
- Free support for external grant proposals through the Research & Evaluation Design Support (REDS) for Grant Proposals program, provided by ISBR centers
- Expert consultation in qualitative and mixed-methods research design, provided primarily by the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research and Social Science Research Commons Qualitative Methods and Tools Consulting Program
- Data collection through in-depth interviews and focus groups provided primarily by the Center for Survey Research and the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research
- Expert consultation or review of data collection instruments, such as interview guides, provided by the Center for Survey Research, the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research, and the Social Science Research Commons' Qualitative Methods and Tools consulting program
- Programming of data collection instruments, such as interview guides, in Qualtrics or REDCap provided by the Center for Survey Research
- Project management, including recruitment and scheduling, provided by the Center for Survey Research
- Field equipment checkout to support data collection through audio and/or video recording, still photography, document scanning, and more, through the Social Science Research Commons' Qual Lab, the IU Libraries' Creator Commons, and the Center for Language Technology (CeLT).
- Specialized hardware and software to support qualitative data collection and anaysis through the Social Science Research Commons' Qual Lab
- Transcription resources, including services to securely generate automated transcripts from audio or video recordings through the Social Science Research Commons' Automated Transcription Service and UITS' Carbon Copy; a SecureMyResearch recipe for generating transcripts from participant interviews; and a comprehensive list of both human and automated transcription providers approved for use with research data at IU.
- Trainings and workshops in data collection strategies and best practices, provided primarily through the Social Science Research Commons.
- Expert consultation or review of qualitative data analysis plans and related documentation provided by the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research, and the Social Science Research Commons' Qualitative Methods and Tools consulting program
- Basic and advanced data analysis, including coding, provided by the Center for Survey Research (basic coding), the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research, and the Social Science Research Commons' Qualitative Methods and Tools consulting program
- Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS), including MAXQDA software licenses provided by the Social Science Research Commons, NVivo available from UITS via IUWare, and additional QDAS and specialized software available through the Social Science Research Commons' Qual Lab
- Trainings and workshops in QDAS, data analysis strategies, and best practices, provided primarily through the Social Science Research Commons.
- Writing, reporting, and presenting data and/or findings provided primarily by the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research.
- Expert consultation or review of writing, reporting, and presenting data and/or findings provided by the Center for Evaluation, Policy, and Research, and the Social Science Research Commons' Qualitative Methods and Tools consulting program.
- Support for data archiving, curation, and dissemination through our institutional memberships in the Qualitative Data Repository and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), supported by the Social Science Research Commons.
Sources of support
Our Centers
The Social Science Research Commons (SSRC) facilitates social science research on the Bloomington campus by providing research infrastructure, support, and training to social science faculty and graduate students. The SSRC provides infrastructure to support qualitative data collection and analysis, such as QDA software licenses, field equipment check-out, and an automated transcription service. It also provides workshops and individual consultations in qualitative research methods and tools.
The SSRC maintains IU's membership in the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), an archive for storing and sharing digital data (and accompanying documentation) generated or collected through qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences and related disciplines. Through our membership, IU researchers have access to data curation and preservation through QDR.
The Center for Evaluation, Policy, & Research (CEPR) conducts high-quality program evaluation, policy analysis, and research that address real-world problems across multiple academic disciplines and sectors. CEPR's qualitative services include research design; data collection (interviewing and focus groups), data analysis and coding; reporting, writing, and presenting data findings; and technical assistance.
The Center for Survey Research (CSR) provides state-of-the-art qualitative and quantitative research services. A leader in survey research for over 40 years, we partner with internal and external researchers from diverse substantive areas spanning business, education, and the social and health sciences, as well as collaborators from both nonprofit and for-profit sectors and the government. CSR's qualitative services include project management; data collection (interviewing and focus groups); and basic data analysis, such as basic coding.
University Partners
SecureMyResearch provides consulting and resources to help researchers protect their data and comply with cybersecurity requirements in grants, contracts, and data use agreements.
The SecureMyResearch cookbook provides recipes for common research use cases, including generating transcripts for study participant interviews and translating a document securely.
SecureMyResearch also provides one-on-one consulting for any cybersecurity and/or compliance issues by emailing securemyresearch@iu.edu. SecureMyResearch can also advocate for researchers' needs and take researchers' feedback to the appropriate IU stakeholders.
External Partners
- The Qualitative Data Repository curates, stores, preserves, publishes, and enables the download of digital data generated through qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences. Indiana University is an institutional member of QDR, provided by the Social Science Research Commons.
- The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is an international consortium of 800+ academic and research bodies, including Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. ICPSR provides leadership in data access and curation, and maintains one of the world's largest archives of data, including qualitative data. Indiana University Bloomington's membership in ICPSR is provided by the Social Science Research Commons.