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Documents as 'risky' sources of data: a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note

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Documents as 'risky' sources of data: a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note. / Barlow, Charlotte Frederica.
In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Vol. 19, No. 3, 06.2016, p. 377-384.

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Barlow CF. Documents as 'risky' sources of data: a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2016 Jun;19(3):377-384. Epub 2015 Jun 18. doi: 10.1080/13645579.2015.1051797

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Barlow, Charlotte Frederica. / Documents as 'risky' sources of data : a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note. In: International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2016 ; Vol. 19, No. 3. pp. 377-384.

Bibtex

@article{7ab3975bd5ea44f9a885660577c5b280,
title = "Documents as 'risky' sources of data: a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note",
abstract = "As units of analysis, documents are often seen as unproblematic, easily accessed sources of data. This research note discusses and reflects on a research project where documents were not easy to access and instead prompted significant negotiation, contained disturbing information and images and had an emotional impact on the researcher. A reflexive account is provided in this paper, which draws upon feminist methodological theory and explores the researcher{\textquoteright}s experiences of using documents in research. The paper concludes that documents should not always be categorised as a low risk data source, rather issues such as access difficulties, ethical dilemmas and potential emotional harm, should also be considered.",
keywords = "documents, gatekeepers, emotions, access, reflexivity, risk, ethical issues",
author = "Barlow, {Charlotte Frederica}",
year = "2016",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1080/13645579.2015.1051797",
language = "English",
volume = "19",
pages = "377--384",
journal = "International Journal of Social Research Methodology",
issn = "1364-5579",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Documents as 'risky' sources of data

T2 - a reflection on social and emotional positioning- a research note

AU - Barlow, Charlotte Frederica

PY - 2016/6

Y1 - 2016/6

N2 - As units of analysis, documents are often seen as unproblematic, easily accessed sources of data. This research note discusses and reflects on a research project where documents were not easy to access and instead prompted significant negotiation, contained disturbing information and images and had an emotional impact on the researcher. A reflexive account is provided in this paper, which draws upon feminist methodological theory and explores the researcher’s experiences of using documents in research. The paper concludes that documents should not always be categorised as a low risk data source, rather issues such as access difficulties, ethical dilemmas and potential emotional harm, should also be considered.

AB - As units of analysis, documents are often seen as unproblematic, easily accessed sources of data. This research note discusses and reflects on a research project where documents were not easy to access and instead prompted significant negotiation, contained disturbing information and images and had an emotional impact on the researcher. A reflexive account is provided in this paper, which draws upon feminist methodological theory and explores the researcher’s experiences of using documents in research. The paper concludes that documents should not always be categorised as a low risk data source, rather issues such as access difficulties, ethical dilemmas and potential emotional harm, should also be considered.

KW - documents

KW - gatekeepers

KW - emotions

KW - access

KW - reflexivity

KW - risk

KW - ethical issues

U2 - 10.1080/13645579.2015.1051797

DO - 10.1080/13645579.2015.1051797

M3 - Journal article

VL - 19

SP - 377

EP - 384

JO - International Journal of Social Research Methodology

JF - International Journal of Social Research Methodology

SN - 1364-5579

IS - 3

ER -