Documents as Sources of Data
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Transcript of Documents as Sources of Data
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Research Techniques in
International Relations
2014-2015
Degree in International Relations
Blanquerna-Universitat Ramon Llull
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Learning Unit 1
Documents as sources of data
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Includes documents, reports, statistics,
manuscripts, and other written, oral, or visualmaterials
The most commonly used data source in
political science
The written record
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The written record can be divided into
The episodic record
The running record
T!es of written records
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!roduced and preserved in a more casual,
personal, and accidental manner byindividuals
Includes personal diaries, correspondence,
brochures, pamphlets, and other materials
"ery important #or political historians
To illustrate phenomena in qualitativeanalyses
The e!isodic record
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Three advantages o# the running record rather
than the episodic record cost, in both time and money
accessibility o# records)locating episodic records
can be quite time consuming
covers a more e*tensive period o# time
The running record and the e!isodic
record com!ared
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Three disadvantages o# using the running
record record-%eeping organi&ations decide how to %eep
records
sometimes di##icult #or researchers to identi#y
organi&ations+ record-%eeping practices
raw data is not always available
The running record and the e!isodic
record com!ared
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Di##erent ways to use the written record as
evidence *tract e*cerpts, quotations, or e*amples #rom
the written record to support an observation or
relationship
$easure the number o# times content appears in
a document
"ontent analsis
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uantitative analysis
.requency in which a word or category is observedwithin the documents studied
/g/ 'ounting particular words in government speeches
ualitative analysis
!laces more emphasis on the meaning o# a particularstatement and its relation to other statements
Blurs into discourse analysis
$ost li%ely analysis o# documents in the conte*to# qualitative research in political science issomewhat in between
"ontent analsis
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(ndrew 4/ Barrett and Lowell 4/ Barrington/
5667/ Bias in 8ewspaper !hotograph 1election,
!olitical Research uarterly, 79 2:3 ;6
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8ewspapers
$ost research on visual images had been #ocused
on television
8ewspapers have #ewer visual images, and
photographs are li%ely to be used repeatedly
Readers o# newspapers are also li%ely to see view
photographs #or longer
Impact o# an image is li%ely to be greater .inally, it is easier to determine the political
atmosphere o# a newspaper
#ews co$erage of cam!aigns
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'ollection o# photographs o# candidates 1even di##erent statewide and local races in =
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$ain #indings
'andidates endorsed by a particular newspaper or
whose political leaning match the political
atmosphere o# a given paper, generally have more
#avorable photos o# them published than their
opponents
#ews co$erage of cam!aigns
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(dvantages o# the written record over othermethods
(llows access to subCects who are di##icult orimpossible to research through direct, personalcontact
Raw data are usually nonreactive Records are o#ten available #or analysis over time
'an use a larger sample si&e than with interviews
or direct observation Less e*pensive because record %eeping costs are
borne by record %eepers
The written record
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Disadvantages o# the written record
1elective survival)record %eepers may not preserve all
materials selectively save 2or destroy3 embarrassing, controversial, or
problematic records
Large gaps e*ist in many archives
4ritten record content may be biased throughincomplete, selectively preserved, inaccurate, or#alsi#ied records
1ome written records are unavailable to researchers)classi#ied, sealed, or they may be stored in such a waythat they are di##icult to use
Records may lac% a standard #ormat
The written record
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4ritten record personal records, archival collections,organi&ational statistics, and the products o# the newsmedia
Episodic record 0istorical political research
aining access is resource-consuming
But less o# a problem as more documents are available online Running record
Rich source o# political data
enerally more quantitative that the episodic record
Used to conduct longitudinal analyses $easurements can o#ten be obtained ine*pensively
'ontent analysis is the most #requently used method to
study the written record
"onclusion