Participants will learn about the key issues to consider when using secondary data analysis as a method. This introductory workshop will briefly cover the pros and cons of reusing data and the importance of learning about the origins of your data. Quantitative and qualitative secondary analysis will be discussed with examples and issues of context, sampling, plus ethics raised.
The session is more conceptual than many of our other workshops, which are more suited to those who want a more practical introduction to our data. The practical elements of the session will focus on exploring documentation and finding suitable data to support your research.
The free 90-minute workshop will consist of an interactive presentation followed by a live demonstration and a facilitated activity. There will be time at the end for questions and discussion.
In order to fully take part in the workshop, attendees should already be familiar with the basic methods of qualitative or quantitative data research.
Presenters: Alle Bloom and Maureen Haaker, UK Data Service.
Maureen has worked with the UK Data Service for over 12 years supporting researchers and institutions in managing, preserving, and sharing qualitative data ethically and effectively. She runs training sessions on research data management, advises on best practices in data curation and anonymisation, and has worked on special projects, including a UKRI-funded project exploring uses of synthetic data in Trusted Research Environments (TREs). She is co-editor of the IASSIST Qualitative Data Special Interest Group and a member of the DDI Working Group developing metadata standards for qualitative data.
Alle is a Research Associate in the UK Data Service Training and User Support (TUS) team, providing expert guidance to those who want to access, understand, and use social science data effectively. She holds an MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics and has an in-depth working knowledge of many of the UK's key survey datasets and their uses. Her previous projects with the TUS team include developing training resources for lecturers and students, creating interactive learning modules on different data types, and collaborating with international data providers to improve data discovery.
Level: Introductory
Experience/knowledge required: Basic methods of qualitative or quantitative data research
Target audience: Researchers/anyone interested in reusing data
This event will be livestreamed on our UK Data Service YouTube channel but the chat will be disabled. By registering and attending the Zoom event you will be able to ask questions and interact.
Recordings of UK Data Service events are made available on our YouTube channel and, together with the slides, on our past events pages soon after the event has taken place.
This event is part of our UK Data Service introductory training series: Autumn 2026.
