Collaborating with research

Although the Project is based at the Archive, which is supported as an research resource by the University of Sussex, the University does not provide funds specifically for the costs directly incurred by the pro-active collection activities of the Archive, the M-O Project. We therefore seek financial support from researchers who approach us with ideas for future themes, and more particularly when they are applying for research funding. In the past, we have collaborated with researchers who have been successfully funded by, for example, the ESRC, The Joseph Rowntree Trust, the BBC, the Nuffield Foundation, various voluntary bodies and researchers' own institutions. We refer to this arrangement as a collaboration rather than a commission.

The charge we make is based on a non-profit making assessment of the actual costs of operating the Project. Not all directives are collaborations, and we frequently make only a token charge to postgraduate students. On occasion, the charge is made retrospectively so that we can make a start on soliciting the required material before funding has been agreed.

What we can offer researchers

When researchers "buy into" the Mass Observation Project, they are benefiting from much more than a questionnaire mail-out service. They gain access to a unique research relationship which has been painstakingly built up over many years. They may if they wish receive advice and support on questions of analysis and interpretation from the Special Collections Manager and the Director.

The material is contributed by correspondents who participate in the Project with great candour, trust and (often) a commitment to the whole idea of the Project which is dedicated to the collection of views and experiences of ordinary ("non-élite") people. The resulting material is therefore particularly rich, detailed and personal, often providing insights which are difficult to obtain using other methods of research.

Researchers are reminded that the Mass Observation Project is not a survey and the Panel does not constitute a representative sample of the population. There is no guarantee that specific kinds of people will be represented in the material. This has implications for the methodological approach to analysis and interpretation which the researcher chooses and the Director can advise if required.

Terms of collaboration

1. The replies to all directives (including those received as a result of a collaborative directive) remain the property of the Mass Observation Archive Trust. The same rules of access apply as those governing access to the whole collection and the rules relating to the confidentiality of the correspondents must also be respected.

2. Original papers may not be removed from the Archive. Work on the original directive replies must take place, by appointment, on Archive premises. Photocopies may be supplied (staff time permitting) at the usual rate. The cost is not included in the initial fee to the Archive.

3. In special cases, it may be possible for the collaborating researcher to have first, exclusive, access to the replies but this normally would be limited to the first six months after the directive mailing. Replies resulting from the directives will normally be made available for general public access (that is, to researchers other than the collaborating researcher) after being sorted and checked in the usual way.

4. The final form of a collaborative directive is subject to the approval of the Director. The form, length, content and language of the directive must conform to the Archive 'house style' and be consistent with existing practices so that no long-term damage to the project is sustained. In practice, the directive would be a collaborative production between the Director and the researcher.

5. The costing does not include any analysis undertaken by the Archive but researchers will have access to basic biographic information about the correspondents: age, sex, marital status, place of residence and occupation.

6. Every effort will be made to ensure that the response rate is comparable with previous response rates in the project, but the Archive cannot guarantee to provide a specified amount of data.

7. Use of the material in publications is governed by the same conditions which apply to all other Mass Observation material. Researchers must seeking the permission of the Archive Trustees to reproduce extracts, and negotiations over fees for publication of extracts must be negotiated with the Archive’s agent at Curtis Brown.

8. We encourage all researchers to seek financial sponsorship or to build the full fee charged by the MOA into any research applications, particularly to the ESRC and other grant-giving bodies. We recognise that not all researchers are able to find the full fee, and we are therefore open to lower offers where we are able to meet the other costs from our own funds. Researchers should recognise, however, that any contribution less than the whole fee amounts to our subsidising their research. The fee which is eventually agreed will reflect both the ability of the researcher to pay and the needs of the Archive. In general we would expect less for a Part Three than for a Part One or a whole directive.

9. No charges are made for consultation of the material. The usual Special Collections charges are made for photocopying and/or transcription.

Timetable

Mail out of the directive

From 2008 the directives are normally sent out two times a year and a collaboratively produced directive would normally be expected to fit in with this time-table. Directive replies are returned usually within the the three month period after they have been received by the correspondents. They have to be sorted, checked and boxed and would be available for research use about three months after mailing out the dierctive. This is a crucial process and we prefer researchers not to ask for access until the material is ready.

Mailing out of directive	Material ready for use
February/March (Spring)	May
October/November (Autumn/Winter)	February

Designing the directive

The preparation for each mailing begins three weeks beforehand with the following tasks: (1) discussions on the theme and drafting of the text, (2) checking supplies of copy paper, envelopes, labels, franking labels etc, (3) production of latest mailing list on labels, and (4) finalising the text, typing and copying

The preparation of directive replies for research use does not usually begin until most of the replies have been received. This avoids unnecessary duplication of work. The filing work can take up to a week. It involves separating the parts of each correspondent's reply, removing all personal and identified material for the Personal File and checking that each directive reply is marked by the correspondent's volunteer number. The batches of replies are then boxed, labelled and recorded on the handlist.

The turn-around from first preparation until final boxing is approximately three months although material can be made available earlier if staff resources permit.

Charges

Charges for specific collaborations will be negotiated on a case by case basis. Factors deciding the amount include the size of the mailing list and whether the collaborative section of the directive is a part 1 or 2.

Dorothy Sheridan
Director, Mass Observation Archive
July 2007