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The data revolution in social science needs qualitative research

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Although large-scale data are increasingly used to study human behaviour, researchers now recognize their limits for producing sound social science. Qualitative research can prevent some of these problems. Such methods can help to understand data quality, inform design and analysis decisions and guide interpretation of results.

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Fig. 1: Qualitative research and big data.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the University of Bremen Excellence Chairs programme for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Nikolitsa Grigoropoulou

  2. Department of Sociology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Mario L. Small

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  1. Nikolitsa Grigoropoulou
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  2. Mario L. Small
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Correspondence to Mario L. Small.

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Grigoropoulou, N., Small, M.L. The data revolution in social science needs qualitative research. Nat Hum Behav 6, 904–906 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01333-7

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