Research integrity
Qualitative Research Audit-Trail Checklist
A checklist of consequential research decisions, codebook changes, memos, evidence links and access considerations.
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Project: ________________________________
Check only what is relevant to the study.
- Research question and major changes documented
- Sampling approach and consequential changes documented
- Stable source identifiers
- Important inclusions / exclusions explainable
- Current codebook identifiable
- Significant code additions, splits, merges and retirements recorded
- Important analytical memos retained
- Negative and contradictory cases considered
- Consequential team disagreements documented
- Material AI involvement documented where relevant
- Major analytical versions identifiable
- Important findings can be linked back to evidence
- Another researcher could understand the main analytical development
- Sensitive information is not unnecessarily exposed in the audit trail
A useful audit trail should answer: What changed? Why did it change? What evidence or reasoning led to the decision?