Study on the effects of the establishment of a National Research Data Infrastructure on empirical social research based on a distanced and responsive evaluation of the Consortium for the Social, Behavioral, Educational, and Economic Sciences (KonsortSWD)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hubert Knoblauch
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 544834771

In this project, the impact of KonsortSWD on social science research communities and research data infrastructures will be investigated. Empirical data will be generated through a distanced and responsive accompanying research based on a mixed-methods research design to be able to assess the effects. Together with the actors of KonsortSWD, solution strategies may be developed to optimize the outreach to the communities and the research data infrastructure landscape. The conception of the project represents a middle position between a distanced and a responsive attitude: It aims to generate scientific knowledge to assess the impact of implemented measures and to allow mutual learning between researchers, field actors and institutions. The design integrates qualitative methods into the usually quantitative designed evaluation process. The project includes observational methods, interview-based data collection, document analysis and a two-stage online panel to answer the research questions. The project will analyze the interoperability of qualitative and quantitative research data centers (RDC) and the impact of the RDC networking through KonsortSWD on the discoverability and re-use of research data and FDM consulting services. Another focus will be on the impact of KonsortSWD on empirical qualitative social research. A document analysis will first serve to record the status of the processing of the KonsortSWD task areas at the beginning of the accompanying research. The data collection will then focus on relevant groups of people from the participating or affected communities, universities, and research data centers. Expert interviews will be conducted with representatives of these groups to capture their experiences and opinions. KonsortSWD staff will also be interviewed to obtain background information, goals, and challenges in implementing the measures. A total of 30 qualitative expert interviews are planned. Through participation in selected meetings of KonsortSWD, decision-making processes in the development and adaptation of measures will be analyzed. In this way, insights into the overall context of the research subject and feedback of the empirical findings into the development work of KonsortSWD will be made possible. Online surveys will be used to quantify the awareness and use of KonsortSWD's FDM offerings and the subsequent use of research data in the disciplines addressed by Kon-sortSWD. At the end of the project, a workshop will be organized to discuss the relevant research results with representatives of KonsortSWD.

• DFG Programme: Research data and software (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)