Research

Fieldwork

Collection sessions and evidence.

FieldworkSelect study
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Reference & policy
New fieldwork activity →Evidence controls
01Planned
02Ready
03In progress
04Completed
05Needs review
06Closed

Fieldwork activities

Multiple methods, one traceable operating model.

Every activity should identify the study, approved instrument or protocol, responsible researcher, collection time, participant or source relationship, and resulting evidence.

Interview sessionScheduled or completed interviews linked to an approved guide and participant record.
Focus-group sessionModerator-led group sessions with attendance, consent, notes, recordings, and transcript handling.
Observation sessionStructured observations with location context, protocol version, timestamps, and researcher notes.
Survey collectionStructured response collection tied to an approved survey version and study identity mode.
Document intakeCollected or reviewed documents with provenance, source permissions, and sensitivity markings.
Field noteResearcher notes, reflexive observations, and methodological memos linked to a session or study.

Evidence model

Evidence remains connected to how it was produced.

Responses, recordings, transcripts, notes, documents, and artifacts should retain provenance instead of becoming detached files in a generic storage area.

Response dataSurvey and structured instrument responses with instrument and version provenance.
RecordingAudio or video retained only when the study permits recording and defines retention.
TranscriptVerbatim or edited transcript with redaction state, source recording, and version history.
Research noteField notes, researcher observations, reflexive notes, and methodological notes.
Source documentUploaded or referenced documents with source, date, permissions, and provenance.
Research artifactImages, maps, forms, screenshots, structured files, and other study evidence.

Transcript workflow

Protect the source; analyze the working copy.

Qualitative work often requires a source recording or raw transcript for fidelity, but routine analysis usually does not require participant names. The platform separates those needs rather than forcing one file to serve both purposes.

01
Protected sourceOriginal recording or raw transcript with the highest applicable access restriction.
02
TranscriptionHuman or approved machine-assisted transcription with provenance retained.
03
Redaction reviewDirect identifiers and unnecessary identifying details removed from the working copy.
04
Working transcriptPseudonymous transcript used for coding, memoing, comparison, and analysis.
05
Quotation reviewPotential publication excerpts reviewed against consent, confidentiality, and re-identification risk.

Evidence controls

Collection convenience should never erase research governance.

These controls keep evidence usable for rigorous analysis while minimizing identity exposure and preserving an auditable chain from collection to interpretation.

01Provenance requiredEvery evidence object should retain where it came from, when it was collected, and the instrument or activity that produced it.
02Identity separatedDirect identifiers stay out of working evidence unless the approved method explicitly requires them.
03Working-copy redactionTranscripts and notes can maintain protected source copies while analysts work from redacted versions.
04Version historyEdits, redactions, transcript corrections, and coding preparation preserve prior states.
05Retention inheritedEvidence retention follows the study governance plan and evidence-specific exceptions.
06Controlled exportEvidence exports exclude restricted identity data and respect role, study, and consent permissions.

Provenance boundary

No orphan evidence.

Every research object should be traceable to the study and collection context that produced it. Files may be transformed, redacted, transcribed, coded, or exported, but the chain between source, working copy, analytical treatment, and final finding should remain visible.