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This methodological guidance paper discusses the craft of reviewing qualitative research for a systematic review. Qualitative research is an expansive and wide-ranging domain that includes research from different disciplines, for different purposes, following different methodological traditions, and employing a variety of data collection and analysis methods. While many aspects of reviewing qualitative research are similar to reviewing quantitative research, the essay focuses on five central tasks: (1) clarifying purpose(s), (2) defining research quality, (3) situating the research in relevant contexts, (4) adding it up, and (5) practicing reflexivity—that every reviewer of qualitative research engages in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes diary studies as a methodological choice for addressing crucial questions in qualitative process research. Diary studies unearth within-individual relationships that capture individual experiences and sense-making of these experiences in a processual manner. Therefore, using diary studies not only addresses the need for more dynamic methodological designs in qualitative research, but is advantageous for providing a process view of how the individual engages with the constructs studied. While process-studies, studied longitudinally, are often fraught with challenges of attrition or disengagement, this paper discusses how a methodological choice which is perceived as being beneficial by the participant can sustain engagement and consequently, research rigour. On one hand, a comparison of interview and diary data from the same participants show evidence of memory decay in interviews and reinforce the rigour of diary studies in the study of processual phenomenon. On the other hand, this study also showcases how researcher know-how, unintentionally imparted through reflective and processual questions asked in the study positively impacts the participants, and when reflected on, enhanced learning. This paper therefore demonstrates the ability of a research method to benefit both the research and the researched, and suggests a step-by-step design to implement a rigorous and impactful diary study using user-friendly forms and reflective questioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile phone–assisted personal interviewing (MPAPI) is becoming a more widely used technique to collect survey data. Not having a hard copy paper document to return to when cleaning data raises the question of how data error rates compare with traditional paper surveys and at what cost. One hundred health research interviewers trained to use traditional pen-and-paper (PAP) survey methodology were recruited and randomly assigned to either a PAP or an MPAPI group. After receiving training on the survey instrument, each of the 100 interviewers conducted interviews with the same five interviewees, for a total of 500 interviews. Costs associated with the two survey methods were calculated. Very low error rates were achieved in both PAP and MPAPI, with a total of 381 data errors identified in 21,500 survey items. Findings suggest that experienced, well-trained interviewers using a short, well-constructed survey can produce very low error rates, independent of survey mode and that the benefits of MPAPI would be magnified as the size and complexity of the study increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital Pathology Systems (DPS) are dynamic, image-based computer systems that enable the acquisition, management, and interpretation of pathology information generated from digitized glass slides. This article provides a roadmap for (1) qualification of a whole slide scanner (WSS) during a validation project, (2) validation of software required to generate the whole slide image (WSI), and (3) an introduction to visual digital image evaluation and image analysis. It describes a validation approach that can be utilized when validating a DPS. It is not the intent of this article to provide guidance on when validation of DPS is required. Rather, the article focuses on technical aspects of validation of the WSS system (WSS, IT infrastructure, and associated software) portion of a DPS and covers the processes of setting up the WSS for scanning a glass slide through saving a WSI on a server. Validation of a computerized system, such as a DPS, for use in a regulated nonclinical environment is governed by Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21 part 11: Electronic Records; Electronic Signature and predicate rules associated with Good Laboratory Practices documents including 21 CFR part 58. Similar regulation and predicate rules apply in the European Union and Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hip fractures are a common and debilitating condition posing not only a huge health care but also socioeconomic burden. Surgical management for a neck of femur fracture is typically with arthroplasty in the form of total hip arthroplasty or hip hemiarthroplasty. Serial radiographs are typically performed routinely as part of follow-up to look for complications, although their clinical utility in asymptomatic patients is yet to be validated. Our paper therefore aims to review the utility and necessity of radiographic follow-up following arthroplasty for NOF fractures. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent operative management for acute fragility neck of femur fractures in the year from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018 at the author's institution were identified. All patients who underwent surgery, and had at least one pre and one post-operative plain film radiograph of the affected hip were included in this study. Exclusion criteria included patients who had undergone surgery for chronic fractures, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, mortality within 1 year, peri-prosthetic fractures, pathological fractures from metastases, had concomitant injuries, or had inaccessible or incomplete records. Clinical records were assessed for the number of visits, an abnormal presenting history or clinical examination, as well as changes in management of the patient. The number and type of radiographs were also assessed, and each radiograph analyzed for abnormal findings. Results: A total of 157 patients were included in our study with a mean age of 79.5 at the time of surgery, and a mean follow up of 17.3 months. Data was collected from 626 clinical visits and a total of 973 radiographs. The 3 abnormal radiographic series identified with a corresponding normal consult did not result in a change of management for the patient. A negative change in management was only observed in 1 patient with an abnormal consult and a corresponding normal radiograph. Conclusion: Post-operative complications following arthroplasty for NOF fractures are likely to result in a symptomatic presentation of the patient. Routine radiographic follow-up provides limited utility in asymptomatic patients and should only be performed if clinically indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper presents the development and implementation of an integrated condition monitoring and fault detection system for AC induction motors using a combination of sensors, GSM communication, and a cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform. The proposed system aims to enhance industrial motors' operational reliability and efficiency by providing real-time data monitoring and early fault detection. The key components of the system include temperature, vibration, current, voltage, and speed sensors, which are strategically placed to gather critical motor performance data. These sensors feed data to an Arduino-based control unit responsible for sensor data acquisition and processing. To ensure timely response to anomalies, the system is equipped with an alarm system and GSM alerts, which notify designated personnel in case of abnormal motor behavior. Moreover, the paper incorporates remote monitoring capabilities, enabling users to access motor health data and real-time status from a distance. Historical data is also stored for analysis and comparison through the integration of a cloud-based Blynk-IoT platform. Additionally, the system facilitates RPM control and utilizes relay modules for seamless motor control and protection. The proposed system was tested and validated using Proteus for circuit diagram simulation and Arduino for sensor coding. The results demonstrate its effectiveness in detecting abnormal motor behavior and its potential to prevent catastrophic failures by enabling predictive maintenance. The proposed system successfully detects and displays abnormalities in important parameters like vibration, temperature, speed, three-phase currents, and voltages with 99% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once recruited, probability-based online panels have proven to enable high-quality and high-frequency data collection. In ever faster-paced societies and, recently, in times of pandemic lockdowns, such online survey infrastructures are invaluable to social research. In absence of email sampling frames, one way of recruiting such a panel is via postal mail. However, few studies have examined how to best approach and then transition sample members from the initial postal mail contact to the online panel registration. To fill this gap, we implemented a large-scale experiment in the recruitment of the 2018 sample of the German Internet Panel (GIP) varying panel recruitment designs in four experimental conditions: online-only, concurrent mode, online-first, and paper-first. Our results show that the online-only design delivers higher online panel registration rates than the other recruitment designs. In addition, all experimental conditions led to similarly representative samples on key socio-demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining online and offline data collection during six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Southern Mozambique in early 2021, this paper explores how media and its everyday use in the Global South are impacting on, and are in turn being transformed by China. It specifically looks into the creative and personalised ways in which Chinese-made garments are sold and promoted in Mozambique via the messenger service WhatsApp. Examining how Mozambican and West African traders use WhatsApp groups and status updates to mediate the fashionability of these Chinese goods, this paper shows that the consequences of Chinese interactions with the Global South on the global media landscape transcend the mere spread of Chinese hardware and software. Going beyond dominant, state-centred narratives of Chinese influence abroad, this paper demonstrates the key role of individuals and their agency in shaping the digital impact of Global China. By doing so, it also highlights the importance of analysing media practices in their specific local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically evaluates the conventional insistence on establishing measurement invariance (MI) in cross-cultural psychology. We argue that complex and seemingly arbitrary benchmarks for assessing MI can be unrealistic and effectively prohibit meaningful research. The widespread use of various MI criteria creates unnecessary and often unattainable hurdles for cross-cultural researchers who have made the effort to collect data in multiple cultural contexts. Additionally, the prohibitionist tone of discussions surrounding MI is unhelpful, unscientific, and discouraging. We argue that emerging findings that cultural differences might not be as widespread or profound as once assumed imply that significant cross-cultural differences in measurement should not be the default assumption. Additionally, we advocate a shift towards external validity as a more useful metric of measurement quality. Our overall message is that researchers who go to the considerable trouble of gathering data in more than one country should not be disadvantaged compared to researchers who avoid cross-cultural complications by gathering data only at their home campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Violence against healthcare workers in the workplace is a complex issue affecting various healthcare professionals. Workplace violence (WPV) poses significant occupational hazards to healthcare employees. Objectives: To identify the causes, types, and perpetrators of WPV and explore the effects of violence on healthcare workers' well-being. Methods: This literature review analyzes 15 selected research papers published between 2015 and 2020, focusing on WPV against healthcare workers, and gathers insights from healthcare professionals with prior experience of WPV. Through an analysis of the selected research papers, this study provides a comprehensive overview with WPV in the healthcare setting. The respondents in the included studies were healthcare professionals who had encountered WPV in their work. Results: While nurses remain particularly vulnerable to violence due to their constant patient interaction, this study reveals that verbal violence is the most prevalent type, significantly impacting the well-being of healthcare workers as a whole. The identified causes of WPV include long waiting times, understaffing, miscommunication, inadequate security measures, high patient expectations, and overcrowding. Respondents emphasized the importance of education, security enhancements, and administrative support to address or prevent WPV. Conclusion: The findings strongly highlight the crucial role of administrative support in reducing the incidence of WPV. It is crucial to implement broader measures to ensure the safety and well-being of all healthcare workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two previous reviews, we examined how human geographers currently report on projects involving their preferred qualitative methods – interviews and ethnographic observation. This final review steps back from specific techniques to evaluate some of the broader presentational conventions that typify this work. What can be inferred from where these geographers discuss data collection in their papers? Why do they develop new methods and what do they say about fieldwork failures? How often do they reflect on the provisional status of their findings? And what are the implications of how they define their purpose in working with qualitative material? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine published research in six top-tier hospitality journals to explore response rates for different survey distribution methods across specific characteristics like research context, respondents, and geographical regions. Data were analyzed from 1,389 papers published from January 2001 to December 2019. By looking at a large set of published response rates, distribution and enhancing methods and type of respondents, findings from this study will aid researchers in designing more effective surveys and successfully collecting necessary data. The implications for response rate in hospitality research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital technologies in qualitative research has been found to increase access and participation by minimizing geographical, scheduling, and financial barriers. However, discussions among the qualitative research community about the challenges of conducting research online and, specifically, what steps can be taken to mitigate "imposter participants" remain limited. Anchored in a critical disability studies perspective, in this field note paper, we discuss lessons learned in conducting online qualitative research and preserving data trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the popularity of field research and its digitization meant that the vast majority is carried out in teams. This means that collecting empirical data in the field requires coordination for the correctness of its effectiveness. The article presents the evaluation meeting as a tool for managing field research carried out on a team. The text presents the current challenges of field research and discusses the range of areas requiring coordination. The paper presented how the field research coordinator should organize and conduct the evaluation meeting. The range of problems that can be solved through the evaluation meeting was also presented, indicating its benefits and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data quality has become an area of increasing concern in marketing research. Methods of collecting data, types of data analyzed, and data analytics techniques have changed substantially in recent years. It is important, therefore, to examine the current state of marketing research, and particularly self-administered questionnaires. This paper provides researchers important advice and rules of thumb for crafting high quality research in light of the contemporary changes occuring in modern marketing data collection practices. This is accomplished by a proposed six-step research design process that ensures data quality, and ultimately research integrity, are established and maintained throughout the research process—from the earliest conceptualization and design phases, through data collection, and ultimately the reporting of results. This paper provides a framework, which if followed, will result in reduced headaches for researchers and more robust results for decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Conducting well designed pharmacy resident research projects has inherent challenges including inadequate sample size, a lack of time, decreased generalizability, and inadequate research support. A way to overcome these barriers is through conducting multicenter research projects. However, this approach may also bring new challenges. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a general approach for pharmacy preceptors and leaders on implementation of multicenter residency research. Summary: This article includes a general approach to conducting multicenter research from experienced individuals based upon their successes and failures. A timeline-based format is presented to lay the groundwork for implementation of this approach. Key topics in this paper include establishing a research overview committee, research question development, Institutional Review Board considerations, site recruitment, authorship discussions, resident coordination, protocol development, data collection, manuscript development, and considerations after residency. The approach maintains a critical focus on the individual residents ability to achieve American Society of Health-System Pharmacists accreditation standards for conducting research while operating in a collaborative manner. Conclusion: Conducting multicenter residency research projects requires a team-based approach and advanced planning. This approach has the potential to improve pharmacy resident project quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the open-source Urban Belonging (UB) toolkit, designed to study place attachments through a combined digital, visual and participatory methodology that foregrounds lived experience. The core of the toolkit is the photovoice UB App, which prompts participants to document urban experiences as digital data by taking pictures of the city, annotating them, and reacting to others' photos. The toolkit also includes an API interface and a set of scripts for converting data into visualizations and elicitation devices. The paper first describes how the app's design specifications were co-created in a process that brought in voices from different research fields, planners from Gehl Architects, six marginalized communities, and citizen engagement professionals. Their inputs shaped decisions about what data collection the app makes possible, and how it mitigates issues of privacy and visual and spatial literacy to make the app as inclusive as possible. We document how design criteria were translated into app features, and we demonstrate how this opens new empirical opportunities for community engagement through examples of its use in the Urban Belonging project in Copenhagen. While the focus on photo capture animates participants to document experiences in a personal and situated way, metadata such as location and sentiment invites for quali-quantitative analysis of both macro trends and local contexts of people's experiences. Further, the granularity of data makes both a demographic and post-demographic analysis possible, providing empirical ground for exploring what people have in common in what they photograph and where they walk. And, by inviting participants to react to others' photos, the app offers a heterogeneous empirical ground, showing us how people see the city differently. We end the paper by discussing remaining challenges in the tool and provide a short guide for using it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use of photo ranking exercises together with qualitative interview data to study migrants' perception of social status. It draws on data from a mixed-method study, involving in-depth interviews with migrants from different socio-economic backgrounds and mobility experiences in Germany. The paper focuses on how photo ranking exercises can be combined with more traditional interviewing techniques in order to elicit peoples' subjective perceptions of status mobility in transnational spaces. It demonstrates that ranking exercises can be helpful in the effort to design data collection methods which are combining substantialist and relational approaches to the study of social class and social positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are participants and researchers agreeing to when they consent to having data archived and what do they imagine the future life of their data to be? In this paper, we reflect on a project that deliberately started rather than ended with the archive. The Everyday Childhoods project invited children and their families to take part in the creation of an open access public archive documenting everyday childhoods using a range of multimedia data. Families and researchers were invited into the archive, encouraged to imagine different kinds of secondary use and to speak directly to future user of their data through short films and postcards. This paper raises questions concerning the place of the archive in different disciplinary traditions; the roles of researcher and archivist in safekeeping, gatekeeping and caring for data collections; and the place of qualitative longitudinal research as a site of innovation within a new data landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the periodical "International Journal of Market Research" is presented in which editor mentions several articles within the issue including application of technology in market research, depersonalization, and acquisition of data.

Understanding vulnerable consumers when conducting Transformative Service Research (TSR) is essential but these consumers and their contexts are often complex and difficult to research. Despite a movement towards TSR methodologies suitable for studying vulnerable participants and their contexts, a comprehensive framework that can guide service researchers is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to investigate appropriate methods, procedures, and protocols that permit researching a wide range of vulnerable groups and exposures to vulnerable situations in TSR. This is undertaken via a review of the literature and the authors' reflections of their experiences with researching vulnerability in various configurations (e.g., disasters, refugees, healthcare, disability, and older people). Through an iterative process of personal case reflections and group discussions blended with extant literature, patterns and insights regarding appropriate research protocols, techniques, processes, and sampling are identified. These insights contribute to the development of a comprehensive TSR framework in five research method areas including 1) consideration of the context, researcher, support persons and participants, 2) recruitment considerations relating to sampling, 3) recruitment considerations in terms of ethics and set-up, 4) data collection considerations relating to research protocol and set-up, and 5) data collection considerations. The framework can guide both academics and practitioners to enhance research outcomes for both participants and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the critical and complex design decisions associated with transitioning an interviewer-administered survey to a self-administered, postal, web/paper survey. Our approach embeds adaptive, responsive, and tailored (ART) design principles and data visualization during a multi-phased data collection operation to project the outcomes of each phase in preparation for subsequent phases. This requires rapid decision making based upon experimental results using a data visualization system to monitor critical-to-quality (CTQ) metrics and facilitate projections of outcomes from the current phase of data collection to inform the design of the subsequent phase. We describe the objectives of the overall design, the features designed to address these objectives, components of the visual adaptive total design (ATD) system for monitoring quality components and relative costs in real time, and examples of the visualization elements and functionalities that were used in one case study. We also discuss subsequent initiatives to develop an interactive version of the monitoring tool and applications for other studies, including those employing adaptive, responsive, and tailored (ART) designs. Our case study is a series of pilot studies conducted for the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), sponsored by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using constrained factor mixture models (FMM) for careless response identification is still in its infancy. Existing models have overly restrictive statistical assumptions that do not identify all types of careless respondents. The current paper presents a novel constrained FMM model with more reasonable assumptions that capture both longstring and random careless respondents. We provide a comprehensive comparison of the statistical assumptions between the proposed model and two previous constrained models. The proposed model was evaluated using both real data (N = 1,455) and statistical simulation. The results showed that the model had a superior fit, stronger convergent validity with other indicators of careless responding, more accurate parameter recovery and more accurate identification of careless respondents when compared to its predecessors. The proposed model does not require additional data collection effort, and thus researchers can routinely use it to control careless responses. We provide user-friendly syntax with detailed explanations online to facilitate its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within multi-national research collaborations, power dynamics often shape who is involved in which parts of the research process. The analysis phase of research has historically been framed as requiring expert perspective, excluding national or local researchers whose role is often limited to collecting data and transferring it to others to analyze. In this paper, we describe and reflect on the process of collaborative coding across a multi-national team based in Lebanon and the United Kingdom, as part of a broader approach to co-production. We explore the value and benefit of collaborative coding, reflecting on how coding together enabled greater inclusion, teamwork, improved analysis as well as improved future data collection. We also discuss the technical and logistical challenges we faced in coding within a team and using internet-based software, including the complications involved in navigating power dynamics between researchers and coming to final decisions about codes. Over time, we found collaborative coding became a smoother process, however working in this way is not straight-forward. Our paper contributes a reflexive analysis on the power dynamics and decision-making complexities involved in collaborative coding. It emphasizes the importance of investing in interpersonal relationships over time and prioritizing less-centralized decision-making within research collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality news is important, not only for its own sake but also for its political implications. However, defining, operationalizing, and measuring news media quality is difficult, because evaluative criteria depend upon beliefs about the ideal society, which are inherently contested. This conceptual and methodological paper outlines important considerations for defining news media quality before developing and applying a multimethod approach to measure it. We refer to Giddens' notion of double hermeneutics, which reveals that the ways social scientists understand constructs inevitably interact with the meanings of these constructs shared by people in society. Reflecting the two-way relationship between society and social sciences enables us to recognize news media quality as a dynamic, contingent, and contested construct and, at the same time, to reason our understanding of news media quality, which we derive from Habermas' ideal of deliberative democracy. Moreover, we investigate the Swiss media system to showcase our measurement approach in a repeated data collection from 2017 to 2020. We assess the content quality of fifty news media outlets using four criteria derived from the deliberative ideal (N = 20,931 and 18,559 news articles and broadcasting items, respectively) and compare the results with those from two representative online surveys (N = 2,169 and 2,159 respondents). The high correlations between both methods show that a deliberative understanding of news media quality is anchored in Swiss society and shared by audiences. This paper shall serve as a showcase to reflect and measure news media quality across other countries and media systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter to the editor highlights methodological and interpretational issues with a recent paper on private outpatient psychiatric consultation fees in Australia. The authors argue that the study's data collection is incomplete and does not accurately reflect real-world clinical practice. They also point out that the paper fails to acknowledge certain factors, such as state-to-federal cost-shifting and government subsidies, which can affect the estimation of out-of-pocket costs for patients. The authors question the validity of the study's findings and criticize the discussion for proposing actions that are not supported by the data. They suggest that broader consideration of the healthcare context and access to cost subsidies may be necessary to improve equitable accessibility to care. [Extracted from the article]

Background and Objectives: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to experience significant delays in diagnosis and interventions. One of the main factors contributing to this delay is a shortage of developmental-behavioral specialists. Diagnostic evaluation of ASD by primary care pediatricians (PCPs) has been shown to be reliable and to decrease the interval from first concern to diagnosis. In this paper, we present the results of a primary care ASD diagnosis program in which the PCP serves as the primary diagnostician and leverages the infrastructure of the primary care medical home to support the child and family during the pre- and post-diagnostic periods, along with data on parental satisfaction with this model. Methods: Retrospective data from a cohort of patients evaluated through this program were analyzed to determine the mean age at diagnosis and interval from referral for evaluation to diagnosis. We used survey methodology to obtain data from parents regarding their satisfaction with the process. Results: Data from 8 of 20 children evaluated from April 2021 through May 2022 showed a median age of diagnosis of 34.5 months compared to the national average of 49 months. Mean interval from referral for evaluation to diagnosis was 3.5 months. Parental survey responses indicated high satisfaction. Conclusions: This model was successful in shortening the interval from referral to diagnosis resulting in significant decrease of age at diagnosis compared with the national average. Widespread implementation could improve access to timely diagnostic services and improve outcomes for children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding political and social effects of violence in local populations through public opinion surveys has become increasingly common internationally. Yet while researchers are attuned to possible challenges induced during survey implementation, this work focuses almost uniformly on respondents. This paper considers survey enumerators as critical actors for data collection in violent research settings. We present survey results from 245 enumerators in Cote d ˆ ’Ivoire to show that their personal feelings of insecurity and exposure to violence while conducting surveys may condition challenges faced and compromises made to gathering data. We shed light on how academic research in violent political settings poses unique security concerns for enumerators, with ramifications for data integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the prevalence of conflict and fragility continue to rise around the world, research is increasingly heralded as a solution. However, current ethical guidelines for working in areas suffering from institutional and social fragility, insecurity or violent conflict have been heavily critiqued as highly abstract; focussed only on data collection; detached from the realities of academia in the Global South; and potentially extractive. This article seeks to respond to that assessment by spotlighting some of the most prevalent challenges researchers face in the pursuit of ethical working practices. It explores the material and epistemic injustices that often shape and underpin research structures and relationships in these contexts. The paper draws on the authors' experiences of research in conflict-affected and fragile contexts over the last fifteen years and on workshop discussions with researchers based in fragile and conflict-affected contexts conducted in Amman, Bogotá and Dhaka in 2019-2020. The paper works from the premise that achieving ethical research in fragile spaces is not dependent solely on activity at the site of research, but also on decisions made across the entire ecosystem of a research project. It therefore interrogates the full research landscape, from funding models, to research design (including research topics, partnerships, methods, participant selection, and researcher positionality), to dissemination plans and ethical gatekeeping. The paper critically reflects on inequities in the processes of knowledge production about conflict and fragility and the key ethical challenges that researchers encounter. It highlights the need for further guidance, support and accountability to ensure ethical research practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has required researchers to adapt methodologies for remote data collection. While virtual interviewing has traditionally received limited attention in the qualitative literature, recent adaptations to the pandemic have prompted increased discussion and adoption. Yet, current discussion has focussed on practical and ethical concerns and retained a tone of compromise, of coping in a crisis. This paper extends the nascent conversations begun prior to the pandemic to consider the wider methodological implications of video-call interviews. Beyond the short-term, practical challenges of the pandemic, these adaptations demonstrate scope for longer-term, beneficial digitalisation of both traditional and emergent interview methods. Updating traditional interview methods digitally has demonstrated how conversion to video interviewing proves beneficial in its own right. Virtual focus-group-based research during COVID-19, for example, accessed marginalised populations and elicited notable rapport and rich data, uniting people in synchronous conversation across many environments. Moreover, emergent interview methods such as the Grid Elaboration Method (a specialised free-associative method) demonstrated further digitalised enhancements, including effective online recruitment with flexible scheduling, virtual interactions with significant rapport, and valuable recording and transcription functions. This paper looks beyond the pandemic to future research contexts where such forms of virtual interviewing may confer unique advantages: supporting researcher and participant populations with mobility challenges; enhancing international research where researcher presence or travel may be problematic. When opportunities for traditional face-to-face methods return, the opportunity for virtual innovation should not be overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new methodological approach, TrustScapes, an open access tool designed to identify and visualise stakeholders' concerns and policy recommendations on data protection, algorithmic bias, and online safety for a fairer and more trustworthy online world. We first describe how the tool was co-created with young people and other stakeholders through a series of workshops. We then present two sets of TrustScapes focus groups to illustrate how the tool can be used, and the data analysed. The paper then provides the methodological insights, including the strengths of the TrustScapes and the lessons for future research using TrustScapes. A key strength of this method is that it allows people to visualise their ideas and thoughts on the worksheet, using the keywords and sketches provided. The flexibility in the mode of delivery is another strength of the TrustScapes method. The TrustScapes focus groups can be conducted in a relatively short time (1.5–2 hours), either in person or online depending on the participants' needs, geological locations, and practicality. Our experience with the TrustScapes offers some lessons (related to the data collection and analysis) for researchers who wish to use this method in the future. Finally, we describe how the outcomes from the TrustScapes focus groups should help to inform future policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gender disparity in surgical disciplines, specifically in speakers across North American medical and surgical specialty conferences, has been highlighted in recent literature. Improving gender diversity at society meetings and panels may provide many benefits. Our aim was to determine the state of gender diversity amongst presenters and speakers at the annual Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (CSO) meetings. Methods: Scientific programs for the CSO annual meetings from 2008 to 2020 were obtained from the national society website. Participant name, role, gender, location, and subspecialty topic were recorded for all roles other than poster presenter. Gender (male or female) was determined using an online search. The total number of opportunity spots and proportion of women was then calculated. Gender differences were analyzed using chi-square test and logistic regression with odds ratios. Four categories were analyzed: Society Leadership, Invited Speaker Opportunities, Workshop Composition (male-only panels or "manels", female-only panels, or with at least one female speaker), and Oral Paper Presenters (first authors). Results: There were 1874 leadership opportunity spots from 2008 to 2020, of which 18.6% were filled by women. Among elected leadership positions in the society, only 92 unique women filled 738 leadership opportunity spots. 13.2% of workshop chairs, 20.8% of panelists and 22.7% of paper session chairs were female. There was an overall increase in the proportion of leadership positions held by women, from 13.9% of leadership spots in 2008 to 30.1% in 2020. Of the 368 workshops, 61.1% were led by men only, 36.4% by at least 1 female surgeon, and 2.5% by women only. "Manels" have comprised at least 37.5% of workshops each year. Conclusions: The proportion of women in speaking roles at the annual CSO meetings has generally increased over time, particularly among panelists, leading to fewer male-only speaking panels. However, there has been a slower rate of growth in the proportion of unique women in speaker roles. There remains an opportunity to increase gender/sex diversity at the major Canadian otolaryngology meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether a 'wisdom of the crowd' approach might offer an alternative to recent political polls that have raised questions about survey data quality. Data collection costs have become so low that, as well as the question of data quality, concerns have also been raised about low response rates, professional respondents and respondent interaction. There are also uncertainties about self-selecting 'samples'. This paper looks at more than 100 such surveys and reports chat, in five out of the six cases discussed, £0.08p interviews delivered results in line with known outcomes. The results discussed in the paper show that such interviews are not a waste of money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper describes the methodological considerations of developing an urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), in the Sleman District of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Methods: 1) The Sleman District was selected because it is mostly an urban area. 2) The minimum sample size was calculated to measure infant mortality as the key variable and resulted in a sample of 4942 households. A two-stage cluster sampling procedure with probability proportionate to size was applied; first, 216 Censuses Blocks (CBs) were selected, and second, 25 households in each CB were selected. 3) A baseline survey was started in 2015, and collected data on demographic and economic characteristics and verbal autopsy (VA); the 2nd cycle collected updated demographic data, VA, type of morbidity (communicable and non-communicable diseases, disability and injury) and health access. 4) The data were collected at a home visit through a Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) on a tablet device, and the data were transferred to the server through the Internet. 5) The quality control consisted of spot-checks of 5% of interviews to control for adherence to the protocol, re-checks to ensure the validity of the interview, and computer-based data cleaning. 6) A utilization system was designed for policy-makers (government) and researchers. Results: In total, 5147 households participated in the baseline assessment in 2015, and 4996 households participated in the second cycle in 2016 (97.0% response rate). Conclusions: Development of an urban HDSS is possible and is beneficial in providing data complementary to the existing demographic and health information system at local, national and global levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There has been increasing use of comic-based approaches within qualitative research as part of an increase in creative and visual methods more generally within social science research. However, whilst increasingly prevalent in dissemination, their use within data collection is less common. This paper examines the dual use of a comic-based approach embedded within a study that explored widening participation in higher education. Initially developed for the triangulation of emergent research findings with a wider group of participants, a comic panel was developed to be used as a focus of discussions within a workshop with 11 practitioners. This was then further developed for wider dissemination and to create a space for dialogue and to engage wider publics with the study's recommendations. Both uses are critically examined, highlighting the affordances of comic-based approaches such as their capacity for supporting dissemination to a wider audience by distilling the findings and presenting them in an engaging way. Furthermore, it argues that the form can allow for creating points of ambiguity that create spaces for the audience to challenge and question taken for granted assumptions on a topic. The paper also sets out possible challenges such the need for specialist skills, the potential for oversimplification and misrepresentation of complex issues. This paper argues that with careful planning, comic-based approaches can add significant value and increase engagement with research. Finally, it offers suggestions for how this approach could be developed by future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video-Reflexive Ethnography (VRE) is an innovative and participatory research and improvement methodology that involves videoing in-situ work practices and collaboratively analysing this footage with participants during reflexive sessions. This involves participants 'slowing down', engaging reflexively with their everyday working practices, and taking time out to discuss issues collectively. VRE has increasingly been used across a range of different healthcare settings. However, one setting that has received less attention is the Acute Medical Unit (AMU). AMUs are busy short-stay hospital departments with very high patient throughput and large multidisciplinary teams where patients receive initial assessment, diagnosis and treatment before being moved to other wards or settings. The aim of this study was to examine how VRE as a research and improvement methodology can be applied, in the busy and complex setting of an AMU. In this paper we outline some of the methodological challenges encountered in this setting and discuss how these were transformed into opportunities and solutions. Then, we evaluate our work by using the four guiding principles at the heart of VRE (care, collaboration, reflexivity and exnovation) to test if, and how, the methodology can be used in such a complex and busy setting without losing its methodological rigor and impact. We show how it is possible to initiate and achieve the core principles of VRE in the complex and busy AMU setting through careful planning, constant revision of data collection methods, remaining highly flexible and adaptable to the spatial and temporal rhythms of the ward and being sensitive to hierarchical inter- and intra-professional relationships and vulnerabilities. Finally, we share recommendations for using VRE in other busy and complex settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a methodological framework for event-ethnographic research in online and offline settings based on the authors' ethnographic experiences in the fields of environmental governance and sociotechnical transition before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on empirical event studies, we outline the particularities of organized events as ethnographic research sites, identifying key challenges related to the spatio-temporal ephemerality, socio-material infrastructures and interactive unboundedness of events. We address these challenges along three axes of reflection, asking how we (1) attend, (2) infrastructure, and (3) take part in organized events. The framework we propose promotes a co-constructive understanding of organized events and raises broader methodological issues regarding power dynamics, our role as ethnographers in transdisciplinary contexts and fair and transparent ethnographic data collection. The framework is designed to explore how the (post-)pandemic transition from real-world to virtual event interactions affects both our research fields and our ethnographic research in transdisciplinary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) is a novel research methodology that uses qualitative data collection methods to map and model complex healthcare processes by identifying and depicting the cumulative activities required to produce an outcome. The FRAM aims to identify the variability that can emerge in a process when healthcare activities are performed under dynamic conditions. With this knowledge, health care system design, safety, and quality improvement recommendations can be developed with a greater understanding of everyday process functionality. Researchers interested in using the FRAM require both an understanding of the methodology itself, as well as an understanding of how to effectively plan and conduct qualitative research. The purpose of this paper is to provide practical guidance to researchers on planning and operationalizing qualitative data collection and analysis methods to inform the building of a FRAM model. A combination of literature and practical experience will be used to examine and suggest appropriate ways for researchers to carry out this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sub-Saharan African-born community in Australia is significantly underrepresented in health research, partly, due to challenges associated with collecting their primary data. Based on experience from a mixed-method study comprising 24 in-depth interviews and a survey of 253 participants in the community, this communication paper highlights a number of 'high-level' practical issues that might be encountered when collecting primary data from the community and provides suggestions for future studies. Included in this paper is a brief discussion of important lessons from the fieldwork that are critical for achieving successful data collection from the community. The lessons include difficulty of proving external validity for samples drawn from the community, difficulty of developing a reliable sampling frame, challenges in selecting appropriate support organisations, risk of low response to surveys and language barrier. The study concludes that understanding the ethnic diversities in this community and engaging appropriate support organisations are critical to achieving a successful data collection experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and gatekeepers lack clarity about the circumstances under which using old data to test hypotheses is appropriate or inappropriate. In response to this complex issue, we first define what makes data "old." We then suggest that using old data is justifiable (a) when examining a past event, (b) when recent data are not available, or (c) when the data were collected painstakingly. Scholars should avoid using old data if none of these conditions exist. Further, authors should be forthcoming about the age of their data and, in the case of a rejected journal submission, update the data whenever possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the use of a smartphone application ('app') as a method for undertaking diary-based qualitative research with a group of participants with lived experience of multiple disadvantage (experience of two or more of homelessness, offending, mental ill-health and substance misuse). As part of a multi-method approach to the study, an app was designed for participants to capture rich, real-time qualitative data through a variety of media – text, audio, image and video – to make it accessible and interactive for participants. There is an identified gap in the use of apps to collect qualitative data with marginalised groups, and this paper reflects on our experience of designing and implementing an app as part of a wider multi-method research project. We argue that, particularly during the challenges of adapting research methods in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the smartphone app has considerable potential for engaging participants in a flexible way to involve marginalised groups. Qualitative researchers in particular should consider the potential of this approach, and encourage others to share their reflections and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines strategic enforcement approaches relying on co-enforcement and transgovernmentalist. It examines three cases in the construction industry in Austria, Asturias (Spain), and Poland, as well as three cases in maritime shipping in Finland, Spain, and Poland, focussing on Labour Inspection's (LI)s motivations for engaging in co-enforcement and transnational cooperation. Data collection involved desk research, semi-structured interviews (39 construction and 14 in maritime), observation of inspections, and participant observation in EU seminars we organised together with regulatory actors (specific details are provided in the appendix). Findings show that LI's selection of co-enforcement and transnational alliances are driven by the specific and highly contingent challenges each organisation faces. LI organisations are seeking to exploit synergies, but both the material reality and perception of these depends on diverse pre-existing infrastructures and organisation-specific assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the social information needs of people with albinism (PWA) in Khomas region, Namibia, and the sources of information used PWA to meet their information needs. The study applies Moore's model of social information needs and Wilson's model of information behaviour to investigate and understand the information needs and sources used by PWA to find information. The study was carried out using a qualitative case design within interpretivism paradigm and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from participants. Sixteen participants took part in the study, eight were males, and eight were female participants. Among these participants, two were children with albinism. The following information was identified as being crucial to PWA namely: skin- and eye-related information, information on what is albinism and its causes, disability grants, educational information, and emotional and psychological support. Additionally, the study established that PWA use formal, informal, and human sources of information to find information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollution haven hypothesis is studied from a bilateral trade perspective in this study, taking the reference of two Asian giants, namely, India and China. For this purpose, trade in pollution-intensive industries is analysed using data collected from the United Nations Comtrade dataset based on Standard Industrial Trade Classification codes for 1992–2019. The analysis helps us argue that between the two, China's demand is more pollution-intensive and India is the major supplier of pollution-intensive products. From an environmental perspective, this implies that China seems to be gaining from trade, and India is becoming a pollution haven in its trade with China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary evaluation of treatment outcomes, retention and client satisfaction following a 12-week combined cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational enhancement therapy (MET) group treatment for cannabis use disorder (CUD) delivered in an outpatient setting. Implementation of the program is also described. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using data collected from medical records and self-report assessments. Participants were treatment-seeking cannabis users at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto. Cannabis use, cannabis-related problems, craving, withdrawal symptoms, self-efficacy for remaining abstinent, depression and anxiety were assessed pre- and post-treatment. Treatment retention was calculated by inspecting clinic attendance records, and client satisfaction was evaluated using an anonymous feedback survey. Potential predictors of treatment outcomes and retention were investigated in exploratory analyses. Results: Cannabis use was lower and days of abstinence higher post-treatment (vs pre-treatment). Post-treatment improvements in cannabis-related problems, craving, withdrawal symptoms, self-efficacy and mood were also observed. Completion of group treatment (⩾75% of sessions attended) was 57% and moderate levels of treatment satisfaction were reported. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that a 12-week combined CBT and MET treatment for cannabis use disorder delivered in a novel group setting improves cannabis use outcomes. Potential predictors of reduced cannabis use and retention were identified. Future controlled studies are warranted, and strategies for increasing retention should be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted empirical research practices relying on face-to-face interactions, such as interviews and group discussions. Confronted with pandemic management measures such as lockdowns, researchers at the height of the pandemic were widely limited to the use of online methods that did not enable direct contact with their research subjects. Even as the pandemic subsides, online data collection procedures are being widely applied, in many cases possibly recklessly. In this paper, we urge the implementation of a reflective approach to online research. In particular, we argue that both digital access and the research subjects' digital literacy affect participation in online research and thus also the quality of the research. By combining these two dimensions, we develop a typology of four types of research subjects (digital outcasts, illiterates, sceptics and natives) that allows researchers to adapt their data collection to the specifics of each research situation. We illustrate these types in the context of our own research projects and discuss them with regard to three main challenges of empirical research, i.e., acquiring participants, establishing a basis for conversation, and maintaining ethical standards. We conclude by developing recommendations that help researchers to deal with these challenges in the context of online research to avoid unintended biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare voice-related outcomes of type 1 thyroplasty using Gore-Tex® between patients with and without augmentation injection laryngoplasty (IL) prior to surgery. Methods: Forty-five patients who underwent Gore-Tex® thyroplasty at a single institution by a single surgeon between November 2016 and February 2019 were identified as those who previously had IL (n = 20) and those without IL (n = 25). Pre- and post-operative voice-related primary outcomes were evaluated using the GRBAS, and CAPE-V auditory-perceptual rating scales and secondary outcome were evaluated using the VRQOL. Pre- and post-operative voice samples were blinded, randomized, and analyzed by 3 voice-specialized speech pathologists to obtain CAPE-V scores. The VRQOL and GRBAS scores were obtained from retrospective chart review. Student's t test with a paired one-tailed distribution was used for comparisons within groups and 2-sample equal variance for comparisons between groups. Intraclass correlation coefficient determined interrater agreement. Results: GRBAS, and VRQOL significantly improved post Gore-Tex® thyroplasty. There was no difference in improvement between patients who received pre-surgery IL and those who did not in either GRBAS or VRQOL scores, but CAPE-V showed significant improvement in the IL group. A strongly positive correlation was demonstrated between the severity of CAPE-V pre-op score and the overall improvement following surgery for both groups combined. Conclusion: Patients with vocal fold paralysis have a significantly better voice after Gore-Tex® thyroplasty by self-report (VRQOL) and assessment by trained voice professionals (GRBAS). Having IL prior to surgery does not adversely affect later surgical outcomes. This paper represents one of the largest analyses of voice quality outcomes of Gore-Tex® thyroplasty using validated patient scales and randomized blinded analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the principles of implementing register-based cohort studies as currently applied for real-time estimation of influenza vaccine effectiveness in Finland. All required information is retrieved from computerised national registers and deterministically linked via the unique personal identity code assigned to each Finnish resident. The study cohorts comprise large subpopulations eligible for a free seasonal influenza vaccination as part of the National Vaccination Programme. The primary outcome is laboratory-confirmed influenza. Each study subject is taken to be at risk of experiencing the outcome from the onset of the influenza season until the first of the following three events occurs: outcome, loss to follow up or end of season. Seasonal influenza vaccination is viewed as time-dependent exposure. Accordingly, each subject may contribute unvaccinated and vaccinated person-time during their time at risk. The vaccine effectiveness is estimated as one minus the influenza incidence rate ratio comparing the vaccinated with the unvaccinated within the study cohorts. Data collection in register-based research is an almost fully automated process. The effort, resources and the time spent in the field are relatively small compared to other observational study designs. This advantage is pivotal when vaccine effectiveness estimates are needed in real time. The paper outlines possible limitations of register-based cohort studies. It also addresses the need to explore how national and subnational registers available in the Nordic countries and elsewhere can be utilised in vaccine effectiveness research to guide decision making and to improve individual health as well as public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This article aims to describe the study design, including descriptive statistics on changes in response rates, characteristics associated with response and response mode distribution, in the Danish National Health Survey (DNHS) in 2010, 2013 and 2017. Methods: Each survey was based on five regional stratified random samples and one national random sample drawn from the Danish Civil Registration System. The subsamples were mutually exclusive. Around 300,000 individuals (aged ⩾16 years) were invited to participate in each survey using a mixed-mode approach (paper/web). A questionnaire with a minimum of 52 questions was used in all subsamples. In 2010 and 2013, invitations were sent via the regular postal service, whereas a secure electronical mail service was used to invite the majority (around 90%) in 2017. Weights accounted for survey design and non-response. Results: Participation decreased from 59.5% in 2010 to 54.0% in 2013 after which it increased to 58.7% in 2017. The proportion answering the web questionnaire increased from 31.0% to 77.4% between 2013 and 2017 and varied from 73.8% to 79.7% between the subsamples in 2017. Overall, the response rate was low among young men and old women and among individuals who were unmarried, had low sociodemographic status, were from ethnic minority backgrounds or were living in the eastern part of Denmark. Conclusions: The survey mode, response mode distribution as well as response rate have changed over time. Weights to handle non-response can be applied to accommodate possible problems in generalising the results. However, efforts should continuously be made to ensure that response is missing at random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]