Self-indulgence or an Essential Tool? The Use of a Field Diary in Biographical Research and Narrative Analysis

Abstract

A ‘field diary’ has long been regarded as an essential research tool for many researchers in the social sciences. I used such a diary in a qualitative study which employed a feminist, biographical approach to investigate the experience of later life widowhood, to meticulously record how I managed the process of the research, and the feelings which accompanied it. In this article I provide examples of the way in which the use of a field diary subsequently had an impact on both the process and the content of the research. Firstly it enabled me to reflect on my own role and thus build into each stage of the research a reflexive analysis, which then informed subsequent stages. Secondly, the diary itself became a further source of data, which situated me clearly within the research process as both participant and researcher and was subject to analysis. Throughout the paper I critically evaluate the use of a field diary as a tool for both the novice and the more experienced biographical researcher and pose the question: is the use of a field diary in biographical research and narrative analysis sheer self-indulgence OR an essential tool