First published Open Access under a Creative Commons license as What is
Diary Method?, this title is now also available as part of the
Bloomsbury Research Methods series.
This book provides an up-to-date, concise, and engaging introduction to
solicited diary method, aimed at researchers and students who want to
employ this methodology in their projects. Its primary focus is on the
use of solicited diary method in the context of social and
health-related research, but it also offers useful guidance on the
everyday practice of diary-keeping.
The authors draw on published research that makes use of this method,
including their own independent studies involving older adults and
family carers. The book opens with an overview of the development of
diary techniques and a discussion of the value of the method, and
provides an overview of the different ways of collecting and using diary
data and techniques for analysing it. Key ethical issues are sensitively
discussed. The book engages with new and novel developments in solicited
diary method by engaging with the use of technology including discussion
of how digital devices, email exchanges, social media such as Facebook,
weblogs and micro-blogging such as Twitter, have the potential to change
the meaning and nature of diary-keeping.
The book includes a variety of visuals to enhance understanding,
including a tabulated summary of the main strengths and limitations of
using diary method, and strategies for mitigating limitations.
