How Can I Gain Access to Data Sources?

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss issues and considerations associated with negotiating and gaining access to data sources, something that many research texts are relatively circumspect about. Difficulty in obtaining access, restrictions placed on access, or withdrawal of support can be devastating to a postgraduate researcher and can cause not only considerable emotional upheaval, but such a setback can also have ramifications on project quality as well as completion. Data access could involve digital and/or personal interaction with participants as well as access to documents and other artefacts and access to these may be controlled by one or more gatekeepers. Negotiating access is, essentially, an ongoing process of determining what is required, getting into an organisation or community and gaining their permission, obtaining access to physical materials/artefacts and/or participant involvement and then possibly doing this all over again with another organisation or community. We suggest a ten-step process for successfully gaining access to data sources.