Images as data – modelling data interactions in social science and humanities research
| Date | 31 October 2024 |
| Pages | 325-345 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2024-0195 |
| Published date | 31 October 2024 |
| Author | Elina Late,Inés Matres,Anna Sendra,Sanna Kumpulainen |
Images as data – modelling
data interactions in social
science and humanities research
Elina Late
Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
In
es Matres
University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, and
Anna Sendra and Sanna Kumpulainen
Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Abstract
Purpose –The expanded reuse of images as research data in the social sciences and humanities necessitates
the understanding of scholars’ real-life interactions with the type of data. The aim of this study is to analyse
activities constituting image data interactions in social science and humanities research and to provide a
model describing the data interaction process.
Design/methodology/approach –The study is based on interviews with 21 scholars from various
academic backgrounds utilising digital and print images collected from external sources as empirical research
data. Qualitative content analyses were executed to analyse image data interactions throughout the research
process in three task types: contemporary, historical and computational research.
Findings –The findings further develop the task-based information interaction model (J€
arvelin et al., 2015)
originally created to explain the information interaction process. The enhanced model presents five main
image data interaction activities: Data gathering, Forming dataset, Working with data, Synthesizing and
reporting and Concluding, with various sub-activities. The findings show the variety of image data
interactions in different task types.
Originality/value –The developed model contributes to understanding critical points in image data
interactions and provides a model for future research analysing research data interactions. The model may
also be used, for example, in designing better research services and infrastructures by identifying support
needs throughout the research process.
Keywords Research work, Task analysis, Model, Data interaction, Image data, Visual data
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Visual data, such as images and photographs sourced from social media platforms and
archives, serve as crucial empirical evidence for social sciences and humanities (SSH)
scholars exploring social behaviour (Ball and Smith, 2017;Chassanoff, 2018;Chen et al., 2021;
Rose, 2022). However, most research on data use in SSH has concentrated on textual
materials, resulting in a gap in understanding of interactions with image data. Images
convey information differently from text: as Chassanoff (2018, 140) describes images are
objects that “become information through the relationships and meanings we inscribe onto
Journal of
Documentation
325
© Elina Late, In
es Matres, Anna Sendra and Sanna Kumpulainen. Published by Emerald Publishing
Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone
may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and
non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full
terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
Funding: This work was supported by the Research Council of Finland, grant numbers 351247 and
345618.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0022-0418.htm
Received 16 August 2024
Revised 3 October 2024
Accepted 5 October 2024
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 80 No. 7, 2024
pp. 325-345
Emerald Publishing Limited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-08-2024-0195
them”. Moreover, impediments, such as copyright issues, which often do not apply to textual
data, may limit the utilization of images for research purposes (Rose, 2022).
The aim of this study is to analyse activities constituting image data interactions in SSH
research and to provide a model describing the data interaction process. Images can be
“found” or “created” for research purposes (Rose, 2014). Finding images refers to collecting
already produced images from various sources and re-using them as research data. Creating
images refers to images that are made specifically for research by the research team or by
study participants (Rose, 2022). This study focuses on research tasks re-using found images
from various sources.
We further develop a model originally created to grasp information interactions (J€
arvelin
et al., 2015) to meet realities of interacting with image data. Information interaction is
described as a “process that people use in interacting with the content of an information
system” (Toms, 2002, 1). Interaction process is a collection of activities taking place at
different stages of research, such as collecting, analysing and reporting data. Research on
information interaction, or human–information interaction, focuses on people’s cognitive
actions and behaviours with information, rather than with technology or librarians (Fidel,
2012). Therefore, it is not only focusing on specific activities such as information searching
but entails the whole information interaction process and its various activities.
Information interactions do not occur as such but are rather triggered by some tasks,
either related to leisure or work (Vakkari, 2001;Toms, 2011). Information needs and activities
are derived from the underlying larger tasks. Therefore, our study analyses real-life research
tasks utilising images collected from external sources as data. The study analyses in-depth
interviews with SSH scholars and seeks to identify the activities and sub-activities
constituting image data interactions in SSH research tasks.
The paper is structured as follows: First, we will discuss previous research focusing on
research data interaction and the use of images as research data in SSH. Second, we will
present the theoretical framework for task-based information interaction. Third, the research
methods, including data collection and analyses, are explained. The results are presented in
the following section. The article ends with discussion and conclusions.
Background
Research data can take different forms in different disciplines and a particular combination
of interests, abilities and accessibility determine what is identified as data in each instance
(Leonelli, 2019). Borgman (2015, 24) defines research data as “entities used as evidence of
phenomena for the purposes of research or scholarship”. Research data can be big or small,
open or closed, produced or re-used, born digital, digitised or analogue. Data are not only by-
products of research but can serve as valuable research outputs and public objects
(Wilkinson et al., 2016). Indeed, data in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) can remain
relevant for analysis for a long time.
As SSH is a divergent group of disciplines with different epistemic practices, data
interactions also take various forms. According to Borgman (2015), the heterogeneity of data
types in SSH, ranging from quantitative datasets to qualitative interviews and multimedia
data, necessitates tailored data management strategies. Data management practices in SSH
are influenced by various factors, including ethical considerations, privacy concerns and
disciplinary norms. The introduction of policies and mandates by funding agencies, research
institutions and publishers has encouraged researchers to manage and share their data,
although compliance remains uneven across disciplines (Gregory et al., 2020;Lilja, 2020).
Over the last years, data archives and infrastructures for social sciences and humanities have
been developed to better serve the needs of these fields (Sendra et al., 2023;Waters, 2022).
However, data sharing is not a common practice in SSH research (Jeng and He, 2022;Zenk-
JD
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326
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