Collecting Qualitative Data Using Digital Methods

Rebecca Whiting is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London where she leads the Department’s Qualitative Research Group. She is interested in a wide range of qualitative methodologies, including the use of digital and visual data, and in the ethics of conducting research that uses such data.  She has published journal articles and book chapters on aspects of qualitative methods, including in The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods and the Oxford University Press volume, Unconventional Methodology in Organization and Management Research. Her research topics include the discursive construction of work identities, work-life boundaries, diversity (particularly age, gender and class and how they are socially constructed) and invisible work. Katrina Pritchard is a Professor in the School of Management, Swansea University where she is Deputy Dean and the School’s Director of Learning and Teaching.  She has published journal articles and book chapters on aspects of qualitative methods, including in The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods and Symon and Cassell’s (2012) Qualitative Organizational Research: Core methods and current challenges.  Katrina’s methodological interests extend from traditional to creative qualitative methods, including visual and object-based in addition to digital methods.  She researches a range of topics related to issues of identity at work.

Approaches to using internet data in management research usually focus on large quantitative datasets.  Here, Whiting and Pritchard outline a long overdue, innovative, qualitative approach to gaining research insights from on-line material.  As part of the SAGE Mastering Business Research Methods series, the authors’ tracking and trawling method will prove revolutionary for Masters students.  However, management scholars in general will also deeply appreciate this little gem of a book as not just presenting a novel on-line method but also an invaluable source of advice on addressing challenges like ethical and copyright issues in this rapidly growing area of research.

• Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Understanding tracking and trawlingChapter 3: Basic components of tracking and trawling methodologyChapter 4: Conducting research onlineChapter 5: Examples of collecting qualitative data with digital methodsChapter 6: Conclusions