Qualitative Special Interest Group: Winter Newsletter 2024/25

Online relaunch of the QualSIG Peer2Peer Network

The aims of the of the Peer2Peer network are:  

1. To provide non-judgemental support from peers about ethical and practical challenges in the qualitative research process. This could include, hints and tips, issues related to the writing process, managing supervisors and multi-disciplinary working, ethics applications, practising presentations.
2. To meet others doing qualitative research across Newcastle University and to support building a community of people doing qualitative research.

All Peer2Peer network sessions from March to July 2025 will be held online. We feel online sessions may be more accessible, due to qualitative researchers being spread across different parts of the University’s campuses, and to accommodate those who now work remotely at least part of the time.

The group is open to anyone working at Newcastle University. We particularly welcome PhD students

and early career researchers (ECRs). Each session will have a loose theme, but with flexibility to chat about other issues. We want this group to be peer led so please feel free to suggest topics for discussion; we’ll consider them for the following academic year if slots have already been allocated for this year.

Keep an eye on the Peer2Peer thread on the QualSIG Teams group (and our recent post on the QualSIG main Teams channel). We have added a folder of Wellbeing resources which people are welcome to use and add to.

All Peer2Peer sessions from March to July 2025 will be held online, and are scheduled for 12:00-13:00 (12-1pm) on the following dates:

• Wednesday the 5^th of March
• Thursday the 10^th of April
• Thursday the 8^th of May
• Thursday the 5^th of June
• Wednesday the 9^th of July

The Peer2Peer leads are steering committee members, Kat Jackson and Debbie Smart. If you would like to hear more about the Peer2Peer network or have an issue you would like to discuss at a future meeting, please email QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “Peer2Peer”.

Peer2Peer page on the QualSIG website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ima/qualitativesig/peer2peernetwork/

QualSIG Data & Methods Group

The purpose of the Data & Methods Group (D&MG) is more formal than our Peer2Peer Network. D&MG offers qualitative researchers an opportunity to present, discuss and learn about qualitative methods and methodologies, and theoretical ideas and frameworks that could support approaches to data collection and analysis.

D&MG hosted and co-hosted five meetings in 2024 attracting attendees from across FMS and HaSS in particular.

• February - Launch meeting
• May - Imposter participants in qualitative research
• July - Using MAXQDA to support the analysis of qualitative data
• September - Longitudinal Qualitative Research
• October - Creative Methods: Analytic approaches and ethical considerations (co-hosted this workshop with the NIHR Policy Research Unit - Behavioural and Social Sciences).

For 2025 D&MG sessions aim to focus on one or more of the following key areas:

• Core methods and practical skills
• Emerging, innovative, and creative methods
• Analysis and interpretation
• Reporting and dissemination
• Ethical and Philosophical Considerations

For first D&MG session of 2025 will be held online on Friday the 28^th of March. Stacey Munnelly, a clinical Advanced Nurse Practitioner, will be presenting her experience of using investigative, interactive and immersive Netnographic research methods to explore the experiences of patients with chronic pancreatitis. Stacey’s talk will be followed by a Q&A and open discussion.

Friday the 28th of March,12:30-13:45, Online: Zoom – details sent upon registration. Please register here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=yRJQnBa2wkSpF2aBT74-h4ihNcNZN2tGuV2OMQQUcjVUQ0ZNRTdOS1k1TU0xM0QxN0pVVjMxUlhLWC4u

D&MG leads are steering committee members, Siân Russell and Jennifer Deane. If you would like to present a D&MG session, or you like us to invite an expert speaker to present a session, please do let us know by emailing QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “Data & Methods”.

D&MG page on the QualSIG website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ima/qualitativesig/datamethodsgroup/

QualSIG Annual Symposium: Beyond the Interview

On the 16^th of January 2025 at the Frederick Douglass Centre, the QualSIG hosted our second annual symposium. The theme for the 2025 symposium was beyond the interview, encouraging abstract submissions that focused on novel and creative approaches. We also provided an open stream for those who wished to share their work but were not using such approaches.

Abstract submissions were open to colleagues working across the Northeast and Cumbria. While most abstract submissions came from colleagues based in Newcastle University, we received submissions from colleagues working at Durham University, University of Sunderland, and Teesside University, as well as colleagues working outside of higher education institutions. This resulted in six streams and two panel discussions. An outline of the symposium can be found here: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ima/qualitativesig/events/nuqualitativespecialinterestgroupannualsymposium2025.html

We received more than 100 registrations, including from colleagues from Northumbria University, South Tyneside Council, NECS, Durham University, University of Sunderland, and Teesside University, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, and the advocacy group International Community Organisation of Sunderland, making this symposium a truly regional event.

Summary of the Symposium

QualSIG lead, Siân Russell, gave opening remarks, outlining the aims of the Innovation, Methodology and Application (IMA) theme, which supports special interest groups across all Newcastle University’s faculties, and an overview of the work of the QualSIG.

Opening Plenary: Janice McLaughlin, Newcastle University, delivered the opening plenary, titled Making Things as a Research Practice, highlighting the growing interest in creative practice in qualitative research where researchers and participants go beyond text, to express and understand aspects of themselves and their experiences. Creative practice can explore the importance of how environments, spaces, objects, and others shape experiences and identities of individuals and groups, and the role intersectionality plays in this; making things is a form of meaning making and identity work. Janice then provided an overview of her own work in creative practice that involved interviews with young people with cerebral palsy followed by photography, a second “photo-elicitation” interview, journaling, and creative workshops involving jewellery making. She then reflected on the positives of this practice in capturing aspects of participants' identities, but also on the need to ensure that creative projects build in enough time to develop trust and rapport with participants, the need to be aware that not everyone feels comfortable or wants to spare the time to be creative, and potential ethical issues around who owns the creative outputs and tells the associated narrative, and how to manage public dissemination.

Prize giving: Towards the end of the day, delegates were encouraged to vote on the following categories:

• The most creative and/or novel approach to data collection, analysis, or dissemination
• The paper that gave you the most pause for thought
• The most engaging and/or entertaining presentation

Jennifer Deane won both the most creative and or novel approach, and the most engaging and/or entertaining presentation, with her paper, Co-creating forum theatre: Communicating symptoms of head and neck cancer.

Lorraine McSweeney won the category for the paper that gave you the most pause for thought, with her paper Development of a Deaf centre wellbeing and nutrition cooking project; challenges and learnings in adapting methods for engaging with British Sign language users. Congratulations to them both.

Following the prize giving, Matthew Breckons, QualSIG deputy lead, provided closing remarks thanking our speakers, before introducing Tim Rapley to present the closing plenary.

Closing Plenary: Tim Rapley, Northumbria University, delivered the closing plenary. Tim reflected on how his younger self thought about research and research practice, gently weaving these reflections into how he has developed in his own approaches and how he collaborates with others. Tim used his plenary to challenge the typical, default position we often hold in academic research, that we are too busy to be creative or to spare time to work with others to develop our ideas. Tim outlined the role collaboration and thinking with others has played in his own development as an academic, discussing key projects, moments, and individuals he has worked with over his career. Tim closed his plenary with the following thoughts: 

When possible  

• Try and think with others
• Try and slow the pace of work, reflect, play and explore
• Try and encourage more moments for creative, collaborative, reflection to support new (or old) ways of working, ‘come up with different possibilities...’”

Feedback: The steering committee received lots of positive verbal feedback during the day and received 27 responses to the feedback form. The steering committee are thrilled that the symposium was well received (see Table 1). In many ways the feedback we received mirrored that of our inaugural 2024 symposium in how much delegates stressed the importance of networking with fellow qualitative researchers. There was a particularly positive response to the symposium’s focus on novel and creative methods, suggesting a desire to learn about and engage in approaches beyond interviews.

Table 1: Overall satisfaction with the 2025 symposium

Opportunities

Call for steering group members: The QualSIG steering committee is excited to announce that we are seeking new steering group members. The qualities we are seeking from steering group members are an enthusiasm for qualitative research, capacity to pragmatically dedicate a small proportion of their time per month to QualSIG activities, a keenness to promote qualitative research at Newcastle University and make networks with qualitative researchers across Newcastle University and the Northeast and Cumbria. ECRs are encouraged to enquire. If you are interested in any of the roles listed below, please email QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “Steering group”.

The following positions are available:

• Early career researcher representative
• Postgraduate researcher representative
• Marketing and communications lead
• Training and Teaching co-lead
• IT/Tech co-lead

QualSIG Annual Symposium 2026: Planning for our next annual symposium will commence in the coming months. The symposium will likely be held in mid-January 2026. If you would like to be part of the organising committee, please do get in touch by emailing  QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “Symposium 2026”.

Communications

QualSIG Teams Group: The QualSIG has a Teams group. The purpose of the Teams group is to provide a space for conversation and collaboration, and somewhere to post about news and events relevant to fellow qualitative researchers. If you would like to be added to the Teams group, send an email to QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “Teams group”, or use this form: https://forms.office.com/e/iLgbQqYuK2

QualSIG Mailing List: If you would like to be added or removed from the mailing list, or have your email address updated, please send an email to QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk with the subject title “mailing list” or use this form: https://forms.office.com/e/BEqUgT1rfF

QualSIG Steering Committee

Lead: Siân Russell

Deputy: Matt Breckons 

Peer2Peer Network Co-leads: Kat Jackson and Debbie Smart

Data & Methods Group Co-leads: Siân Russell and Jennifer Deane

Early Career Researcher Rep: Abisola Balogun-Katung

Student Rep: Julie Guest

Training and Teaching Co-Leads: Steph Scott, Matt Breckons, and Rachel Stocker

Social Media Co-Leads: Beth Bareham and Laura McGowan 

IT/Tech Lead: Rachel Stocker 

General members: Marie Poole and Joanne Lally.

The QualSIG steering committee consists of qualitative researchers from students to mid-career research-academics. All are volunteers who run the QualSIG on top of their existing workloads.

Email: QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk

Website: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ima/qualitativesig/

Newsletters: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/ima/qualitativesig/newsletters/

Please note that sending an email to QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk does not result in the email being received by those on the QualSIG mailing list. Only members of the QualSIG steering committee are privy to the associated mailbox.

Last modified: Tue, 11 Mar 2025 09:36:25 GMT