Summary Chapter 23 Bryman

Chapter 23
Documents as sources of data


Introduction
Documents available for research:

 These are “documents” that can be read (but not just as in text – visuals as well!)
 Have not been produced specifically for the purposes of research
 Preserved so that they become available for analysis
 Relevant to the concerns of the social researcher


Documents that are non-reactive:

 Have not been produced specifically for the purposes of social research


Scott’s criteria for assessing the quality of documents:

1. Authenticity
 Genuine evidence
 origin certain
2. Credibility
 Is it free from error and distortion?
3. Representativeness
 Is the evidence typical of its kind?
4. Meaning
 Clear, relevant and comprehensible?



Types of documents available for study:

 Personal
 Official state documents
 Official company documents
 Mass media outputs
 Virtual document


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