Documentary research

Documentary research involves the use of texts and documents as source materials: government publications, newspapers, certificates, census publications, novels, film and video, paintings, personal photographs, diaries and innumerable other written, visual and pictorial sources in paper, electronic, or other `hard copy' form. Along with surveys and ethnography, documentary research is one of the three major types of social research and arguably has been the most widely used of the three throughout the history of sociology and other social sciences. It has been the principal method - indeed, sometimes the only one - for leading sociologists.

The key issues surrounding types of documents and our ability to use them as reliable sources of evidence on the social world must be considered by all who use documents in their research. The paucity of sources available until now means that this compendium will be invaluable to social researchers. " [Scott 2006]

Documentary research is the use of outside sources to support the viewpoint or argument of an academic work. The process of documentary research often involves some or all of conceptualising, using and assessing documents. The analysis of the documents in documentary research would be either quantitative or qualitative analysis (or both). [Balihar, Sanghera] The process is utilized in most academic work (in fact, most high school and certainly college level courses would insist on references in academic work) in supporting the academic prose of the writer.

References

Prior, L. 2003, "Using Documents in Social Research". London, Sage.
Scott, J. 2006, "Documentary Research" London, Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN: 9781412908177