Sensitivity review of public records: A thematic qualitative inquiry

Sensitive information in public records is critically important for public security and individual privacy. For this reason, it is essential to examine in a comprehensive manner how records containing sensitive information are managed and appraised during their transfer to national archival institutions in accordance with records management and archival science principles. Research that approaches the sensitivity review process from a holistic perspective remains limited. This study aims to address this gap by examining the management and appraisal practices applied during the transfer of public records containing sensitive information to national archives. Within a qualitative research design, the views of archival specialists were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data were obtained from eight archival specialists, six from Türkiye and two from the United Kingdom, a leading country in the field of archives and records management. The findings reveal a comprehensive thematic structure consisting of five themes, eighteen categories and 101 codes. This structure demonstrates the challenges encountered in the sensitivity review process, the professional and technological approaches developed to address these challenges and the influence of institutional mechanisms on the process. Archival specialists insights provide new perspectives on the issues inherent in sensitivity review. The study concludes that sensitivity review is a context-dependent, multidimensional and ethically grounded area of professional practice that requires a systematic approach within archival agencies. It also offers original methodological and technological contributions to the literature by presenting Archival specialists evaluations on how AI-assisted review tools may transform sensitivity review processes.