© Loree Griffin Burns
I answered some questions this week for an article about field research. The author asked if I had any practical tips, and here’s the quick list I made:
Invest in a nice recorder, preferably digital … and then remember to keep it and spare batteries with you at all times. Keep in mind that background noise will wreck your recording, and adjust accordingly. (For example, if there are airplanes flying overhead, wait and do the recorded interview indoors later.)
Always carry a notebook and pens and pencils (pens don’t work well in extreme cold).
Always carry business cards.
Collect the full name and contact information for everyone you talk to.
Observe closely, write what you see, hear, smell, feel, taste, collect tiny details, snippets of conversation, lingo, weather details, EVERYTHING. You man not need all this information later, but this may be your only chance to collect it!
As soon as you get home, transcribe your tapes and record your notes. This is CRUCIAL. So many little details can be added to your notes while the experience is fresh in your mind; these details will be lost next month.
As soon as you’ve transcribed your tapes and notes, contact your host, thank them for giving you the opportunity to join them, and ask any follow-up questions you have.
Make contact with others you met in the field, too. These people may be great resources for you in the future.
Keep printed hard copies of all your typed notes and transcripts. (And, of course, remember to back up your digital copies.)
When your article or book comes out, send a copy to all the researchers who helped you during your field experience, even if the publication comes years later.
It occurred to me this morning—while looking through photographs I took this past weekend during a field research trip with photographer Ellen Harasimowicz—that I forgot to include a very important tip: surround yourself with good colleagues!