Analyzing and Writing a Report on Qualitative Diary Research

Abstract

This chapter discusses how to analyze and write up a qualitative diary research report. In qualitative diary studies, the summative narrative developed by the researcher is as integral to the report as is the more elaborated narrative provided by each diarist. Distilling individual diaries into a cohesive and concise report and many other challenges face researchers writing reports using complex diary data. After considering some of the practical aspects of writing up diary research studies, such as targeting and tailoring reports to non-academic, applied, or scholarly outlets, the majority of the chapter will turn to analyzing and coding of diary data and report-writing specifically for scholarly outlets. Data analysis and report writing are treated together because these are typically concurrent tasks in qualitative research studies.