Diaries and Journals

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

Diaries and journals case study research lends itself particularly well to investigating the central research question under review and can be used in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research studies. Historically, diaries and journals have been used for hundreds of years, from Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book, to Saxon monks, to Samuel Pepys's famous diary; however, as a clear research tool, diaries and journals have been used extensively over the past three centuries.

Dairies and journals have been used in varied disciplines for varied purposes. For instance, social historians have performed hermeneutic analyses of diaries that reveal the social conditions of the time period under study, the feelings of the diarists, the dress of the time, and the politics of the time, to name a few. Often, these sources of data are doubly important because other sources have been destroyed or heavily censored. Experimental researchers use diaries and journals extensively when survey data do not provide the type of information needed for close analysis of practical problems. For example, when a researcher wants to investigate the daily habits of a target group, a diary or journal works particularly well as the participant records his or her daily activities over a specific period of time. This close analysis of participants' routines cannot be revealed through other methods, such as questionnaires and interviews. Oftentimes, these entries act as a substitute for the researcher's recording his or her observations of a target group. Naturalistic or ethnographic researchers frequently access data through diaries and journals as a method of studying taken-for-granted elements of social interaction. In other words, ethnographers are able to extract information from participants in their natural settings and explore tacit knowledge without being overly intrusive. As well, the diarist or journalist controls the recorded information and the format of the diary or journal and often constructs his or her self-identity, which becomes invaluable information for the ethnographer.

At times, the researcher might focus the entries by creating a template to be followed loosely by the diarist, or the researcher might supply a guiding question or statement (e.g., “Describe how your day goes for the next two weeks with a particular emphasis on how you discuss issues with colleagues”). Often these frames provide a starting point for the diarist or journalist without sacrificing autonomy. These entries also provide rich data for the researcher.

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Often the researcher is involved in reflection on both the content and the process of the research study, and diaries and journals act as a conduit for these reflections; that is, the researcher transforms standard field notes into critical reflection or critical self-reflection on the research study. At times, the information is related to fine-tuning the study itself (e.g., revising interview questions), but frequently the researcher records personal feelings in the diary or journal, which can serve to strengthen the interpretation of the data as the recorded thoughts are seen through a more personal lens.

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