Collecting Qualitative Data Using Digital Methods

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.

This book offers an engaging and accessible introduction to qualitative research methods built on tracking and trawling through the wealth of material available online. Whiting and Pritchard offer a nuanced overview of the varieties of online data and the different tools available for locating material to use in our research projects. They combine practical tips with a reflexive sensitivity to the meaning of data and the emergent design of research projects. This book is a highly valuable qualitative researcher’s travel guide to the Internet with helpful advice for both newer and more experienced researchers.

The Internet contains rich qualitative material, yet until now we have lacked a systematic guide to help students design and execute digital studies. Carefully delineating digital research from doing a literature review, the book helps students on every step of their research journey in accessible language that nonetheless does not 'dumb down' its subject. With increasing numbers of students unable to gain access to fieldwork sites (especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic) this book is sure to become essential reading on research methods and dissertations modules, and will be of value to experienced researchers too.