Social Research
Methods
Documents
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Classic works
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Classic works in sociology based on
documents (e.g. Marx, Weber, Durkheim)
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References
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Prior, Lindsay. 2003. Using Documents in Social
Research. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Rapley, Tim. 2008. Doing Conversation,
Discourse and Document Analysis. Los Angeles ;
London: SAGE Publications.
Scott, John C. 1990. A Matter of Record:
Documentary Sources in Social Research.
Cambridge: Polity Press.
Mcculloch, Gary. 2004. Documentary Research:
In Education, History and the Social Sciences.
New edition. London: Routledge.
Hodson, Randy Dale (Ed.) (1999) Analyzing
Documentary Accounts, London: Sage
Publications Ltd.
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Proximate and Mediate
access to data
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SCOTT distinguishes:
Proximate
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Mediate
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Research has direct access to data
provider, can influence process of data
collection or data generation.
no direct access, relies on data
providers having left “traces” for other
reasons. Researcher cannot influence
data collection process
Cf. obtrusive vs. unobtrusive
measures
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Material vs. Texts
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Scott also distinguishes
Material traces (e.g. archaeology)
vs. texts left.
Latter is main focus of documentary
research
(But N.B. film and video)
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Examples of documentary
sources
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Manuscripts
Letters and diaries
Autobiographies
Acts of Parliament
Government reports and
Inquiries
Hansard
Public records
Newspapers, magazines
(N.B. now on CD-ROM)
Pamphlets
Web pages
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Online discussion
groups
Accounts (financial)
Minutes, memos
Returns
Surveys/censuses
Adverts
Handbills
Invoices
Photographs
?Maps, paintings, films,
architecture
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Classification of documents
(following Scott)
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Access
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Closed
Restricted
Open-archival
Open-published
Authorship
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Personal
Official-private (e.g. hospitals, schools,
business)
Official-State (e.g. government, intergovernmental)
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Four Research issues
Key point:
 documents are socially produced.
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1.
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Who is the ‘true’ author?
Is it a forgery?
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Authenticity
e.g. 6 Haydn piano sonatas authenticated by
H C Robbins-Langdon but found this year to
be forgeries
e.g. the Vinland Map (discovered as forgery in
1974)
e.g. Carlos Casteneda - Amerindian magician.
Clever compilation from known ethnographies
Satires
False attribution
Particularly an issue on the Internet
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2.
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Credibility
Sincerity, accuracy.
Material interests of Author -> their
motives
E.g. interests, bribery, sympathies,
eye witness or secondary.
Atkinson and Coffey - Documentary
Realities
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An ontological status, the ‘official
view’
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3.
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Representativeness
Survival and Availability (selective
deposit)
Not everything recorded – history
from the victor’s perspective, only
what people at the time consider
important.
Not all docs survive, – weeding,
accident, secrecy, scattered.
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4.
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Problem of literal meaning e.g. what
is a ‘whitster’
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Meaning
(= either textile bleacher or metal
finisher)
Genre of document (conventions
governing different document types)
Stylisation (e.g. use of allegory,
allusion & irony)
Point of view & Conditions of
production (= Hermeneutic circle)
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Recent focus
Semiotics - Internal meanings of
document:
Barthes
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Meaning lies in system of rules which
structure text.
Find these rules and decode hidden
meanings of text.
Multiple meanings
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Scott follows Giddens, suggests
meaning arises from 2 contexts
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Intended context
Received context.
Thus interpretation of document’s
internal meaning depends on:
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Intention and reception.
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Analysis of documents
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Quantitative
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Content Analysis
Count terms, phrases, length of texts
etc.
Qualitative
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Grounded theory
Qualitative Content Analysis
Hermeneutic/interpretative
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Diaries - References
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Alaszewski, Andrew M. 2006. Using
Diaries for Social Research.
London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Louise Corti (1993) Using diaries in
social research. Social Research
Update 2. University of Surrey.
[http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU2.html]
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Diaries
Personal diaries vs. selfcompletion diaries (structured or
free text)
Advantages
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Good for recall of events or easily
forgotten experiences (the mundane)
Can deal with sensitive data
Supplement interviews on day-to-day
basis (diary - interview - diary method)
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Typical suitable subject
matter
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How people spend time (e.g.
Multinational Time Budget Use
Project)
Consumer expenditure (e.g. Family
Expenditure Survey -> RPI
weightings)
Transport (e.g. National Travel
Survey)
+ social networks, health, illness, diet,
nutrition, family therapy, crime, alcohol
and drug use, accidents.
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Diary Design
A4 booklet 5-20 pages - most respondents do
not carry diary around with them
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Add set of questions asking:
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Inside cover instructions - "to complete soon after
event" (Pilot these)
Model of correctly completed diary
1 page for 1 time period (24 hrs/day/week) - clear
layout
Checklists of items
or Guidance on what events need recording
Was time period typical?
Comments
Explanation of any peculiarities
Long diary - start short then wean to long
Reminders to enter data (bleepers, family, sms)
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Data Quality
Incomplete recording, inadequate recall
 Diary keeping period
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Reporting errors
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Not too short to miss significant events
Not too long to burden respondents
7 - 14 days typical
Ensure seasonal variations covered
1st day shows more reporting
visits to preserve diary keeping habits
Literacy
Participation
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Face to face recruitment best
Personal collection to sort out problems
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