Zusammenfassung
It is common to hear people talk about 'writing up' research. Implicit in the
phrase is the sense that writing is a stage that occurs principally when the
research has finished and is a straightforward process of telling what was
done and what conclusions can be drawn. However, the process of research
involves many forms of writing, from letter writing and minute taking to
academic papers and formal research reports.
The aim of this issue is to consider one form of research writing that has
received relatively little attention, yet which is central to the research process,
especially, but not exclusively, for those conducting qualitative or action
research studies - the research diary. Research diaries are considered as
part of a broad category alongside other methods of recording such as
research logs and fieldnotes. Particular approaches to notetaking, the use of
visual material in diary record keeping, as well as practical issues are
discussed.
This issue also contains extracts from three separate research projects. The
examples are not intended to be prescriptive, they are simply offered as
working examples of research diaries from actual research projects.
Nutzer