How to use Wikibase for Mixed-Methods Research: An Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approach (How to Research Guides)

This applicable book outlines instructions on how to use Wikibase, a free collaborative platform that enables research teams to manage complex, multimodal data in one shared workspace. Francesco Bailo, Emily Booth and Jennifer Williams provide a comprehensive toolkit explaining this open-source infrastructure, providing practical guidance for researchers at all technical levels, from installation to advanced workflows.

Drawing on real-world case studies investigating online misinformation and political communication, the authors demonstrate how Wikibase bridges the qualitative-quantitative divide, allowing teams to store unstructured content whilst building structured relationships through their data. Accessible to diverse skill sets with guidance ranging from conceptual frameworks for qualitative researchers to technical implementation for computational specialists, it fosters genuine interdisciplinary integration. Solutions to interdisciplinary collaboration challenges are presented, including shared conceptual frameworks (ontologies), common terminology development and workflows that accommodate diverse methodological expertise.

How to use Wikibase for Mixed-Methods Research is a crucial resource for scholars and students adopting mixed methods across multiple disciplines, particularly those in the social sciences, digital humanities and computational fields. Researchers working on collaborative projects in education, health sciences, public policy and digital communication studies will benefit from this book’s guidance on maximising the capabilities and resources of Wikibase.

Francesco Bailo, Senior Lecturer in Data Analytics in the Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney, Emily Booth, Research Fellow, The Data Science Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Australia and Jennifer Williams, Lecturer in Cybersecurity Analysis, School of International Studies, Macquarie University, Australia