Documentary research
Documentary research is a methodological approach that utilizes previously recorded information as a primary source for academic or scientific inquiry. This method encompasses a wide variety of documentation, including written texts, digital records, images, videos, and audio files. Researchers engaged in this type of study must not only locate relevant documents but also critically evaluate their suitability based on four key criteria: authenticity, credibility, representativeness, and meaning. Authenticity ensures that a document is genuine and complete, while credibility assesses its accuracy and lack of bias. Representativeness evaluates whether the document reflects the broader societal perspectives of its time, and meaning involves interpreting its content and implications. Although documentary research is a rich source of information, researchers must be discerning, as much available material is not created for scholarly purposes. This approach is related to other methodologies, including content analysis and archival research, and can also lead to the creation of cultural artifacts through artistic representation. Overall, documentary research is a valuable tool for obtaining insights from various forms of documentation while maintaining a rigorous evaluative process.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Documentary research
Documentary research is a research method in which people use previously recorded information as their primary source material. This material usually consists of written or digital texts, but it may also include images, videos, audio recordings, and other forms of documentation. This research is generally intended to supplement an academic or scientific study. Documentary researchers must not only locate and access documents; they must also evaluate documents for suitability. Four primary criteria for evaluation are authenticity, credibility, representativeness, and meaning. Only documents that meet these criteria should be considered suitable for use in serious documentary research.
Overview
Documentary researchers may use any material considered documentation, which most often consists of printed paper or digital texts such as newspapers, magazines, journals, directories, maps, statistics publications, and diaries. Documents may also include images such as paintings, sketches, blueprints, and photographs. Computer files, musical recordings, and other resources may also be classified as forms of documentation applicable to documentary research.
Although this range of sources may seem extensive, much available material may be deemed unsuitable for documentary research for a variety of reasons. Most documents in existence have been created and collected for reasons other than serious scientific or academic research. For example, a newspaper article may mention potentially useful facts or figures but may have been written from a layperson's perspective and use non-scholarly methods. Researchers must examine available materials and choose only the most suitable for the task.
To evaluate documents, researchers often use four main criteria: authenticity, credibility, representativeness, and meaning. The first, authenticity, seeks to ensure that the document is complete and is genuinely created by the person to whom it is attributed. Determining authenticity may take many forms. In extreme cases, researchers may have to have documents professionally analyzed to determine whether they are what they are purported to be. Authentication may require steps such as literary comparisons by scholars or chemical analyses by scientists.
Determining a document's credibility means assessing whether it is accurate and unbiased. People who create documents generally do so for a particular purpose, and personal perspectives and biases often influence the final product. Ideally, documentary materials should be factually accurate and maintain a mainly fair, objective point of view. Inaccuracies or biases in a document may disqualify it from research or at least place qualifications on its overall value.
Researchers next assess the representativeness of a document by asking whether, or to what degree, a document represents the prevailing beliefs or understandings of the time, place, or society in which it was created. Only by comparing a document against other related documentation, if available, can a researcher determine to what degree the document reflects widely held information.
Finally, if a document has met these criteria, the researcher can make full use of it in research. At this stage, the researcher determines the meaning of the document. This involves both practical considerations, such as exactly what words or symbols are included, as well as matters of interpretation that draw out deeper meanings from a given document.
Documentary research is closely related to other research methodologies, such as content analysis, archival research, and the creation of cultural documents. In content analysis, researchers read or otherwise study previously recorded material such as text and images, potentially from a variety of perspectives, rather than gathering new data. In archival research, researchers address the role and use of documents and records. Finally, documentary research is sometimes conducted to produce artifacts and cultural material through artistic representation, photographs, films, and audio recordings.
Bibliography
“Content Analysis.” Iowa State University, 26 Mar. 2021, instr.iastate.libguides.com/c.php?g=49332&p=318069. Accessed 24 Apr. 2021.
“Documentary Research.” Iowa State University, 26 Mar. 2021, instr.iastate.libguides.com/c.php?g=49332&p=318070. Accessed 24 Apr. 2021.
“Documentary Research.” Oxford Reference, 2021, www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095724431. Accessed 24 Apr. 2021.
Kridel, Craig. “An Introduction to Documentary Research.” American Educational Research Association, 2021, www.aera.net/SIG013/Research-Connections/Introduction-to-Documentary-Research. Accessed 30 May 2024.
McCulloch, Gary. Documentary Research in Education, History, and the Social Sciences. RoutledgeFalmer, 2004.
Mogalakwe, Monageng. “The Use of Documentary Research Methods in Social Research.” African Sociological Review, vol. 10, no. 1, 2006, pp. 221–30.
Tight, Malcolm. Documentary Research in the Social Sciences. Sage Publications, 2019.
“What is Documentary Research? Examples, Methodology, Advantages and Disadvantages.” QuestionPro, 2021, www.questionpro.com/blog/documentary-research/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2021.