Definition
The recording of activities and experiences, usually in written format, within specific episodes of time. The diary is created specifically for the purpose of research and focuses on a particular topic of interest to the researcher.
Distinctive Features
Plummer (1983) has reviewed the use of diaries in social research and identi- fies three broad strategies. These approaches differ primarily in relation to the amount of structure imposed within the diary: unstructured written accounts,
semi-structured diaries comprising reports of key activities or emotions, and finally a structured log of activities which essentially lists events with relatively little commentary.
Zimmerman and Wieder (1977) argue that diary methods can be a good alternative to research fieldnotes in ethnographic research. Diaries can provide access to naturally occurring sequences of activity which might other- wise be inaccessible to participant observation. Subjects themselves are able to record events but with the additional benefits of being able to do this on a con- tinuous basis, whereas fieldworkers might only be present at restricted times. Thus the subjects themselves become adjunct ethnographers of their own circumstances.
Diary methods are particularly popular within the sub-discipline of med- ical sociology as they provide the means for respondents to record their symp- toms and the actions they take to manage the condition. Although diaries are usually written documents, some researchers have experimented with the use of video diaries to record respondents’ activities (Holliday, 2004).
Diaries as a research method are frequently used alongside qualitative interviews with the same respondent. The diary then becomes an aide-mémoire for both the respondent and researcher, with the interview serving to amplify and clarify events recorded in the subject’s diary (Plummer, 1983).
Personal diaries have been used by researchers to study social life, for example the diaries of Samuel Pepys or Anne Frank, but this method is dis- cussed under the entry on documentary methods. The experiences in these diaries only become data in retrospect. Diaries are also used in research to record the researcher’s activities throughout the study. This use is described under its own entry on research diaries.
Examples
Johnson and Bytheway (2001) provide a detailed example of the merits and problems of diary research in their study of medicine management among people aged over 75 years old. Participants were asked to complete a two-week diary recording when they took prescribed and over-the-counter medicines. The diaries also prompted respondents to record the timing of other activities known to be associated with taking medicines such as experiencing symptoms, consumption of meals, contact with visitors and/or relatives, and trips outside the house. In addition to the diary, the respondents were visited by fieldwork- ers who interviewed respondents about their recent activities using the data recorded in the diary as a basis for discussion. Following pilots, changes were made to the methodology as some of the older people were struggling to complete the diary, partly due to problems of vision, manual dexterity and Diary Methods
comprehension. Consequently on their first visit fieldworkers demonstrated how to complete the diary based on the previous and current day’s activities. The fieldworker also made a subsequent visit a few days later and, together with the respondent, recorded additional activities which the respondent had omitted. The authors report additional problems with using diary methods in this study. There was a decline in the amount of detail recorded in the diary after the first week, some respondents dropped out of the study feeling that the task was too onerous or complicated, and it was felt that some respondents reported expected rather than actual events.
Evaluation
Lee (1993) extols the merits of diaries in research, but warns that their appli- cation is constrained by problems of sample bias and sample attrition due to the sometimes rather burdensome and prolonged commitment required of the respondent. Furthermore respondents may change their behaviour because of the act of reporting it in a diary. For example, keeping a record of how much money one spends, as was required in the UK Family Expenditure Survey (Office of National Statistics, 1999), will inevitably prompt reflection on, and potential curtailment of, spending. While diaries might change behaviour, Elliot (1997) argues that the ability of diaries to encourage reflec- tion on the part of the respondent is a methodological advantage as it provides opportunity for the respondents to prepare for the subsequent interview. Diarists therefore become more equal collaborators with the researcher, retain more control over the research process, and raise the level of public participation. Video diaries have also become increasingly popular in recent years.
Despite the problems identified, diary methods can, particularly if com- plemented by interviews, provide insight into social life that would not be possible by other means. Perhaps their most obvious advantages are their ability to aid recall of activities and that they can provide data on actions and experiences over extended periods of time. As with observational methods, they can also help to distinguish what people actually do from what they say they do. Johnson and Bytheway (2001) also argue that data recorded in a diary should be regarded as particularly powerful as what is said in the writ- ten word often holds more significance and relevance to the subject than what is spoken.