Using Diaries For Social Research

The book has no competitor it summarises the development of the methodfollows through all stages of research from accessing subjects through designto analysing ... » 

The book has no competitor it summarises the development of the methodfollows through all stages of research from accessing subjects through designto analysing diary information as data and considers how the method can bestbe exploited and used. No other book comes remotely near doing this. I for oneshall be using it gratefully as the single best text for diary research Professor Anthony P Macmillan Coxon Honorary Professorial Fellow Universityof EdinburghIn this accessible and lucid introductory text Andy Alaszewski considers theanalysis of diaries as a distinctive research technique in its own right.Nothing has previously covered this area in singlevolume format but thetimely emergence of Using Diaries for Social Research recognizes the increasedinterest in and relevance of diary methodology within social research teaching.Effectively combining theory history and methodology Alaszewski begins bydiscussing how diary keeping has developed outlining the key features of themedium and examining the ways in which diaries have been and can be used forsocial research. He describes how suitable diaries and diarists can beidentified by the researcher and once found how these diaries can bestructured to generate research material. Finally the researcher is takenthrough the analysis stage examining statistical techniques contentanalysisand structureanalysis as effective methods of investigating diary texts.This introductory student guide is an essential text for anyone involved in thearea of social or historical research and for those working in the narrativetradition. «