QUADS is the ESRC Qualitative Archiving and Data Sharing Scheme.

This web site, hosted by ESDS Qualidata in its co-ordination role, contains details on the scheme and the five projects that were awarded funding as part of the scheme.

The objectives of the Scheme are to:

• develop new models of qualitative research archiving and data sharing which tackle in innovative ways the epistemological, ethical, metohological and practical challenges raised by the re-use and re-analysis of qualitative material.
• explore ways of improving the quality of contextual information, which complement the ESDS Qualidata approach
• encourage researchers to explore the use of stored and shared video, visual and audio datasets
• promote understanding of the potential benefits and challenges of information and communications and e-science technologies
• explore and extend the relationship between qualitative data producers, users, and re-users and to demonstrate innovative and effective practice in these domains