ACROSS FAMILIES/ Data collection
Diary methods
Repeated accounts close to everyday events
Diary methods ask people to record experiences repeatedly over a defined period, using narrative entries, structured items or both. Reporting may be scheduled or event-triggered and can be retrospective over a short interval. Diaries reveal sequences and variation that a single interview misses, while participant burden and selective completion influence what is recorded.
WHEN IT FITS
Choose when changing experiences or everyday processes matter and participants can sustain repeated reporting. Match the interval and prompts to how rapidly the phenomenon changes and the analysis you can support.
Strengths
- Reduces reliance on distant recollection
- Captures within-person variation and unfolding events
Limitations
- Fatigue can create missing or shortened entries
- Diary keeping may itself alter attention or behaviour
Know the boundary
A diary records accounts, not an uninterrupted objective record of daily life.
USED ACROSS
Business & MBAPsychologyEducation