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

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Detailed Table of Contents; List of figures; List of tables; List of boxes; Foreword; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1 Introduction: documents, documents everywhere; Summary; Is this book for me?; Documents, documents everywhere!; Exercise: considering your interaction with documents; Why there is a need for this book; Structure of the book; Outline of chapters; Section I: Documents found in isolation from their authors; Section II: Documents as an addition to existing qualitative research methods; Conclusion

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Detailed Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- 1 Introduction: documents, documents everywhere -- Summary -- Is this book for me? -- Documents, documents everywhere! -- Exercise: considering your interaction with documents -- Why there is a need for this book -- Structure of the book -- Outline of chapters -- Section I: Documents found in isolation from their authors -- Section II: Documents as an addition to existing qualitative research methods -- Conclusion -- Feedback is always welcome -- 2 How to do excellent research with documents: general principles -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Documents and everyday life -- So, what is a document? -- How documents are created and used -- Theorising the everyday use of documents: Actor Network Theory -- Quality and bias within found documents -- Quality and bias within researcher-influenced documents -- Practical tips for your research with documents -- Identifying a research topic and writing research questions -- Selecting a sample -- Time and financial considerations -- Ethical concerns -- Good data management -- Analysis techniques -- Disseminating your findings -- Maximising impact -- Conclusion -- SECTION I: Documents found in isolation from their authors -- 3 Traditional media: investigating the construction of societal norms -- Summary -- Key learning points -- Background: news media, society and research -- The print media -- News as a data source, quality and bias -- The media creation of moral panics -- News media, prejudice and misreporting -- News media as a (potential) agent of change -- The continuing importance of the media in the digital age -- London Riots case study -- Context -- Research design