Doing Excellent Social Research with Documents: Practical Examples and Guidance for Qualitative Researchers [Paperback]

1. Introduction: Documents, Documents Everywhere  2. How to Do Excellent Research with Documents: General Principles  Section I: Documents Found in Isolation from Their Authors  3. Traditional Media: Investigating the Construction of Societal Norms  4. Historical and Official Documents: Moving Beyond Simple Interpretations  5. Documents Created by Individuals: Collection and Analysis of Multi-Modal Content  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  7. Documents in Ethnographic Research: Things We Might Not Have Been Able to Observe  8. Participant Created Documents as An Elicitation Tool: Things We Might Not Have Otherwise Been Told  9. Reviewing and Applying Concepts to Your Research Project

Drawing on research projects which reflect real world situations, this volume will guide you through the research process in detail, enabling you to examine and understand the practices and value of a range of documentary analysis approaches.

Aimee Grant is a Qualitative Researcher at the Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University. She undertakes research on health, pregnancy and motherhood, drawing on a range of disciplinary fields including critical public health, sociology, human geography and cultural studies.

'Grants text offers an excellent overview of the practicalities attendant on the use of documents in social research. It will no doubt prove to be an indispensable guide for both novice and practiced researchers, and is worthy of a prime slot on the bookshelf.'