Research workflow

Qualitative Research Project Setup Worksheet

A setup worksheet for research questions, sources, cases, coding approach, memos and permitted AI tasks.

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Project: ________________________________
Lead researcher: ________________________________

Primary research question:
________________________________

Sources in scope:
________________________________

Source-ID convention:
________________________________

Main unit of comparison / case:
________________________________

Case attributes that may matter:
________________________________

Coding approach: Mainly deductive / Mainly inductive / Combined / Undecided

Initial concepts brought into the study:
________________________________

Where will analytical memos be kept?
________________________________

Where will consequential decisions be recorded?
________________________________

How will contradictory evidence be handled?
________________________________

Languages in the dataset:
________________________________

AI use: Yes / No / Undecided

Permitted AI tasks, if any:
________________________________

Before coding starts, another researcher should be able to identify what is being studied, what evidence belongs, what counts as a case, how sources are identified and where analytical thinking will be recorded.