The email-diary: a promising research tool for the 21st century?. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones, Adam; Woolley, Janet
• Is Part Of: Qualitative research. Volume 15:Number 6(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 705
• Page End: 721
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: contemporaneous record -- diaries -- digital-native -- digital divide -- email -- mobile society -- mobile technology; Qualitative research -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 300.72
• DOI: 10.1177/1468794114561347
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-7941

Abstract

The global research community has identified that, as society becomes ever more mobile and 24/7-oriented, data collection methods that reflect the day-to-day experiences of its participants need to be developed. This article reviews the success and issues of using a solicited email-diary, developed to investigate the impact on commuters of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. Research on the effectiveness of diaries as a method of data collection is limited, while there appears to be no analysis using email as a method of soliciting diary responses. The article identifies the research opportunities for an email-diary and the solutions it provides to a number of the problems and limitations experienced with a traditional pen-and-paper diary.