MORPHSS

@morphss

Materialising Open Research Practices in the Humanities & Social Sciences. Research project funded by AHRC, Wellcome Trust & Research England. Co-delivered by Cambridge, Sheffield, Coventry & Southampton universities.

2,532 Following1,344 Followers89 Posts

Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and morphss.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

MORPHSS@morphss· 5d

NEW MORPHSS resource for qualitative researchers: Qualitative Data Sharing with Care: A Concise Guide Incorporating examples & case studies, this resource is informed by a series of interviews with qualitative researchers on decision-making processes around data sharing ⬇️ doi.org/10.17613/khv...

MORPHSS@morphss· 5d

NEW MORPHSS PREPRINT on Mixed methods and ethnographic researchers’ perspectives on sharing qualitative research data in the social sciences doi.org/10.31222/osf... #OpenResearch #OpenQualData

Title and abstract of preprint.

‘Trying to apply a care-based approach’: Mixed methods and ethnographic researchers’ perspectives on sharing qualitative research data in the social sciences'

Expectations around qualitative data sharing have a vexed history. While some assert their importance, including in facilitating the impact of rich data beyond the confines of an individual research project, others highlight the barriers around sharing data that is often personal, sensitive, and highly situated, indicating a need for ongoing research on how these challenges are perceived and negotiated within specific methodological contexts. Responding to a scarcity of both research on ethnographers’ data sharing practices and attention to qualitative sharing in the context of mixed methods, this article details the findings from a series of 22 interviews with ethnographic and mixed methods researchers regarding their decision-making processes around whether and how to share qualitative data.

We find that interviewees’ consideration of the rationale for and benefits of qualitative data sharing goes far beyond a focus on reproducibility or verifiability to embrace a broad range of factors. Among both mixed methods and ethnographic researchers, data is perceived as both a rigorous research output carrying profound evidentiary weight and a product of a co-created, contextually-situated endeavour, a finding that is reflected in the variety of factors that inform decision-making around whether and how it can be shared. This necessitates, we suggest, care-full, situated negotiation between the needs and interests of diverse actors alongside pragmatic handling of logistical parameters. After detailing the moderating mechanisms used to achieve such negotiation in instances where data sharing is possible, we conclude by highlighting the supportive environment within which such processes of care must in themselves take place.

MORPHSS@morphss· 5d

Image of 'Qualitative Data Sharing with Care: A Concise Guide'

MORPHSS@morphss· Jul 16

Participants explored issues including - Challenges to openness - Areas of tension (freedom vs. constriction; agency; choice) - Domains in which openness plays out (autonomy; collectivity; form; structure) - Personally influencing factors Read more: morphss.hcommons.org/2026/07/14/u...

Image of post-it notes in a mapping exercise about issues relating to openness in academic monograph-writing

MORPHSS@morphss· Jul 16

NEW BLOGPOST on the series of Unbind workshops held at Southampton & Cambridge universities earlier this year as part of MORPHSS. The workshops explored issues of openness, form, & difficulty in academic monograph writing in a supportive & inclusive space ⬇️ morphss.hcommons.org/2026/07/14/u...

Image of post-it notes with contents relating to definitions of openness for workshop participants

MORPHSS@morphss· Jul 9

Charlotte Pennington discussing the MORPHSS report "Openness in the arts, humanities and social sciences: Documenting open research practices beyond STEM" (doi.org/10.17613/jn1...) in her keynote address at the @ukrepro.bsky.social conference:

Charlotte Pennington presenting a keynote address on the development of the Brief Open Research Survey (BORS) to assess awareness and use of various Open Research practices, at the UKRN conference 2026

MORPHSS@morphss· Apr 15

We present and unpack the MORPHSS typology of forms of openness in the arts, humanities and qualitative social sciences, and the range of actors and audiences to whom these forms and practices of openness "open up" research:

Six overlapping circles illustrating the six types of openness in the MORPHSS typology: epistemic openness, participatory openness, process openness, evidentiary openness, availability of outputs and the accessible communication of research.

Figure illustrating the MORPHSS typology's six forms of openness and their audiences, participants and publics (participants and communities, academic audiences and non-academic audiences)

MORPHSS@morphss· Mar 3

The MORPHSS team are delighted to be presenting at #OxFOS26 today in the session on the future of open research in the humanities and social sciences. Details below:

Flyer for the OxFos session on the Future of Open Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, which is happening on 3rd March 2026. Contains a QR code,=.

MORPHSS@morphss· Mar 2

@sabinaleonelli.bsky.social discussing what science more generally can learn from open AHSS research practices in terms of situated, reflexive approaches to open research... especially crucial in the context of AI's impact on approaches to open/research. #oxfos26 #OpenResearch #AHSS

MORPHSS@morphss· Feb 18

Our new report **Openness in the arts, humanities and social sciences: Documenting open research practices beyond STEM** has already had over 550 downloads! If you haven't seen it yet but are interested in taking a look, you can find it here: doi.org/10.17613/jn1... #morphss #OpenResearch #AHSS

Screenshot showing 557 downloads of the MORPHSS report

MORPHSS@morphss· Feb 9

The MORPHSS project has also created a typology of six forms of openness we identify among AHSS open research practices: Participatory openness, epistemic openness, process openness, evidentiary openness, availability of outputs and the accessible communication of research. catalogue.morphss.work

Screenshot of the MORPHSS catalogue showing types of openness in AHSS research

MORPHSS@morphss· Feb 9

NEW resource for open research in the arts, humanities and qualitative social sciences: The MORPHSS catalogue documents 30 open research practices in AHSS disciplines, with detailed descriptions, examples, and suggested resources and further reading. catalogue.morphss.work