Doing Excellent Social Research with Documents Practical Examples and Guidance for Qualitative Researchers
In today’s society we increasingly create and consume written content and images. This includes a range of sources, from social media posts to records held within organisations, and everything in between, including news articles, blogs, shopping lists and official government documents. Critically re...
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| Main Author | |
|---|---|
| Format | eBook Book |
| Language | English |
| Published |
London
Routledge
2019
Taylor and Francis Taylor & Francis Group |
| Edition | 1 |
| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
| ISBN | 1138038652 1138038660 9781138038660 9781138038653 |
| DOI | 10.4324/9781315177274 |
Cover
Table of Contents:
- Analysis technique: interpretive thematic analysis -- London Riots case study: data analysis -- Findings -- Discussion -- Challenges of undertaking research with news articles -- Exercise: using thematic analysis -- Instructions -- Data -- 4 Historical and official documents: moving beyond simple interpretations -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background 1: historical documents -- The use of historical documents in research -- Quality and bias in historical documents -- Background 2: contemporary official documents -- The use of official documents in research -- Quality and bias in official documents -- Welfare reform case study -- Context -- Research design -- Analysis technique: CDA -- Welfare reform case study: data analysis -- Discussion -- Challenges in undertaking research with historical and official documents -- Exercise: using CDA -- Instructions -- Data -- 5 Documents created by individuals: collection and analysis of multi-modal content -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background: individually created documents, understanding meaning and research -- Offline documents, research, quality and bias -- Online documents, research, quality and bias -- Shisha and social media case study -- Context -- Research design -- Analysis techniques: semiotic, thematic and content analysis -- Discussion -- Challenges of undertaking research using individually created documents -- Exercise: using semiotic analysis -- Instructions -- Data -- SECTION II: Documents as an addition to existing qualitative research methods -- 6 Triangulation of findings from primary research: things we might not have otherwise been able to establish -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background 1: triangulation -- What is triangulation? -- Triangulation, social constructionism and validity -- Triangulation and self-reported behaviours
- Health and wellbeing in pregnancy: data analysis -- Findings -- Discussion -- Challenges of undertaking document elicitation interviews -- Exercise: using narrative analysis with document elicitation interview data -- Instructions -- Data -- CONCLUSION -- 9 Reviewing and applying concepts to your research project -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Are we nearly there yet? -- Common challenges when undertaking documentary analysis -- How to select a suitable sample -- How to do ethical research with documents -- Critical consideration of the authorship and intended use of your document -- Using triangulation in your research with documents -- Doing 'documentary analysis' -- Planning your data management approach -- How to write up your documentary research -- The specific challenges with different sources of documentary data -- News articles -- Historical documents -- Official documents -- Individually created documents (letters, diaries, social media) -- Advertising and marketing materials -- Organisational documents -- Researcher-initiated documents -- So you've decided to do documentary analysis - what next? -- Checklist for designing studies which use documents as data -- Concluding remarks -- Glossary -- Index
- Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Detailed Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- 1 Introduction: documents, documents everywhere -- Summary -- Is this book for me? -- Documents, documents everywhere! -- Exercise: considering your interaction with documents -- Why there is a need for this book -- Structure of the book -- Outline of chapters -- Section I: Documents found in isolation from their authors -- Section II: Documents as an addition to existing qualitative research methods -- Conclusion -- Feedback is always welcome -- 2 How to do excellent research with documents: general principles -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Documents and everyday life -- So, what is a document? -- How documents are created and used -- Theorising the everyday use of documents: Actor Network Theory -- Quality and bias within found documents -- Quality and bias within researcher-influenced documents -- Practical tips for your research with documents -- Identifying a research topic and writing research questions -- Selecting a sample -- Time and financial considerations -- Ethical concerns -- Good data management -- Analysis techniques -- Disseminating your findings -- Maximising impact -- Conclusion -- SECTION I: Documents found in isolation from their authors -- 3 Traditional media: investigating the construction of societal norms -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background: news media, society and research -- The print media -- News as a data source, quality and bias -- The media creation of moral panics -- News media, prejudice and misreporting -- News media as a (potential) agent of change -- The continuing importance of the media in the digital age -- London Riots case study -- Context -- Research design
- Background 2: advertising, behaviour and research -- How advertisers create 'need' -- The use of advertising documents in research -- Quality and bias in advertising materials -- The marketing of infant formula case study -- Context -- Study 1: The finding that needed triangulating -- Study 2: Research design -- Analysis technique: content analysis -- Marketing of infant formula: data analysis -- Discussion -- Challenges of undertaking research using advertising materials -- Exercise: using content analysis -- Instructions -- Data -- 7 Documents in ethnographic research: things we might not have been able to observe -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background: using documents within ethnographic enquiry -- Ethnographic forms of data collection -- Quality and bias when using documents in ethnographic research -- Strengthening findings from ethnographic research studies -- Observation, triangulation and social constructionism -- The underuse of documents in ethnographic research -- Constructions of health and welfare case study -- Context -- Research design -- Analysis technique: framework analysis -- Constructions of health and welfare: data analysis -- Challenges of using documents within ethnographic research -- Exercise: using framework analysis -- Instructions -- Data -- 8 Participant-created documents as an elicitation tool: things we might not have otherwise been told -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background: using documents created by individuals during elicitation interviews -- Use of existing documents in elicitation interviews -- Creating new documents for research projects: a participatory approach? -- Quality and bias in document elicitation interviews -- Health and wellbeing in pregnancy: detailed case study -- Context -- Research design -- Analysis technique: narrative analysis