Big qualitative data: creative ways of working with qualitative analysis at scale

This resource is for anyone who is committed to the importance of qualitative research but also recognises the complexities of working with ‘qualitative data. In particular in this resource we pick up the challenges and possibilities of working with ‘big qualitative data’. This resource is for a range of career stages: you might be doing a PhD, research in the public sector or be a well-established academic. The kinds of data you work with could include diary studies, creative projects using multiple methods or analysing secondary data in the Mass Observation Archive. There are multiple forms that big data takes when we think about qualitative research and in this resource we try to speak to this range.

This document doesn’t provide all the answers but gives you the challenges, debates and resources you can consult and steps to take. There are some contentious debates within the field that we do not seek to resolve but instead indicate what these concerns are, and some resources or things to think about. The resource is authored by the organising team (Sophie Woodward, Laura Radcliffe and Kirsty Pattrick) and those who attended an Innovation Forum at The Keep in September 2025, as well as those who were unable to attend but have commented on this document. We are authors with differing backgrounds, interests and approaches but we come together here to put those interests and expertise into dialogue. We invite you, the reader, to join in this dialogue.