10.4: Field Notes

Learning Objectives

• Define descriptive field notes.

• Cite the variety of ways that field researchers might take notes while in the field.

• Describe what should be noted when taking field notes.

Field notes are your opportunity to write quickly and honestly. While this is not the type of writing where one should aim for literary perfection, it is perhaps the most important writing you will do as a researcher. You are not writing for an audience; you are writing to record observations straightforwardly and quickly in a way that makes sense to you. Field notes are a necessary step toward developing quality analysis, as they serve as the primary record that affirms what you observed.

Methodologists generally distinguish between two different kinds of field notes: descriptive and analytic. While the lines between what counts as description and what counts as analysis can be fuzzy, the distinction is useful for organizing your writing process. In this section, we focus on descriptive field notes, which describe a researcher's observations as clearly and directly as possible. These notes typically do not contain explanations or comments; instead, they present the observations on their own, as straightforwardly as possible.

Writing in the Field

Field researchers use a variety of strategies to take notes while in the field. Some research is conducted in settings where sitting with a notebook or computer is standard, but this is often the exception. More frequently, field researchers must find creative ways to note their observations while actively engaged in the environment. Researchers have employed various tactics, including jotting notes on hands or in small pocket notebooks, using voice recorders, or utilizing smartphone applications like Evernote or Otter.ai to capture quick observations. Given that smartphones are now common in almost any setting, using these devices to capture data has become a standard, less intrusive practice. It is crucial to remember, however, that researchers cannot record people without their consent.

A researcher's strategy for recording observations while in the field is determined mostly by the site chosen and the role played. If a researcher is in a setting where having a notebook or phone looks out of place, they may need to develop a shorthand using combinations of abbreviations and symbols to capture information without taking too much time away from their participation. Writing notes while in the field requires a fine balance between jotting down observations and actually engaging in the setting.

As with other proficiencies, writing field notes is a skill that improves with practice. Observation is deliberate, not haphazard. For first-time researchers, this process often feels overwhelming, but having a clear research question or topic in mind helps focus observations. However, it remains vital not to let the original research question blind the researcher to occurrences in the field that may not seem important at the time, as these can become crucial later.

Writing out of the Field

Here is a newer, highly regarded source that focuses specifically on constructing and organizing field notes in modern qualitative research:

• Phillippi, J., & Lauderdale, J. (2018). A guide to field notes for qualitative research: Context and conversation. Qualitative Health Research, 28(3), 381-388.

This 2018 peer-reviewed article provides an excellent contemporary framework for collecting, incorporating, and disseminating field notes, making it a perfect replacement for the 2011 text.

Here is the updated section with the newer research integrated into the text and reference list:

Learning Objectives

• Define descriptive field notes.

• Cite the variety of ways that field researchers might take notes while in the field.

• Describe what should be noted when taking field notes.

Field Notes

Field notes are an opportunity to write quickly and honestly. While this is not the type of writing where one should aim for literary perfection, it is perhaps the most important writing a researcher will do. A researcher is not writing for an audience; they are writing to record observations straightforwardly and quickly in a way that makes sense to them. Field notes are a necessary step toward developing quality analysis, as they serve as the primary record that affirms what was observed.

Methodologists generally distinguish between two different kinds of field notes: descriptive field notes and analytic field notes. While the lines between what counts as description and what counts as analysis can be fuzzy, the distinction is useful for organizing the writing process. This section focuses on descriptive field notes, which describe a researcher's observations as clearly and directly as possible. These notes typically do not contain explanations or comments; instead, they present the observations on their own, as straightforwardly as possible.

Writing in the Field

Field researchers use a variety of strategies to take notes while in the field. Some research is conducted in settings where sitting with a notebook or computer is standard, but this is often the exception. More frequently, field researchers must find creative ways to note their observations while actively engaged in the environment. Researchers have employed various tactics, including jotting notes on hands or in small pocket notebooks, using voice recorders, or utilizing smartphone applications like Evernote or Otter.ai to capture quick observations. Given that smartphones are now common in almost any setting, using these devices to capture data has become a standard, less intrusive practice. It is crucial to remember, however, that researchers cannot record people without their consent.

A researcher's strategy for recording observations while in the field is determined mostly by the site chosen and the role played. If a researcher is in a setting where having a notebook or phone looks out of place, they may need to develop a shorthand using combinations of abbreviations and symbols to capture information without taking too much time away from their participation. Writing notes while in the field requires a fine balance between jotting down observations and actually engaging in the setting.

As with other proficiencies, writing field notes is a skill that improves with practice. Observation is deliberate, not haphazard. For first-time researchers, this process often feels overwhelming, but having a clear research question or topic in mind helps focus observations. However, it remains vital not to let the original research question blind the researcher to occurrences in the field that may not seem important at the time, as these can become crucial later.

Writing out of the Field

Immediately upon leaving an observation in the field, it is important to take the time to complete the brief notes taken while in the field. Contemporary researchers emphasize that well-organized field notes ensure that rich context persists beyond the initial observation, creating a vital record that unfolds over time. Even if the notes taken in the field feel complete, it is common for researchers to recall much more once they sit down without distractions and review what was jotted down. This is also an opportunity to add reflections, or observations about the observations, when writing up more complete notes.

When typing up notes upon returning from an observation, the researcher should "fill in the blanks" and write as much as possible about what was just observed. Even if it seems mundane, it is fair to say that field notes can never contain too much detail. Writing in as much detail as possible also helps avoid generalizing in field notes. Be specific about what is observed. Rather than saying that everyone said or did something, make a note of exactly who said or did a specific action, or note that it is unclear who did so but that it seemed as if most everyone did. Rather than saying that someone observed was angry, describe what gave that impression; for example, was that person yelling, red in the face, or shaking their fist?

Do not forget to describe exactly where the observations took place and detail the surroundings, in addition to describing the interactions and conversations observed and participated in. Early in a field research project, a researcher may focus slightly more on describing the "lay of the land" than they do later on. This might mean writing up very detailed descriptions of the locations observed and the people with whom the researcher interacts. It may also involve drawing a map or, if appropriate in the setting, taking pictures of the field sites. If observations are conducted in the same place and with the same people, these descriptive details written up early on will become less noticeable over time. It is helpful to have documentation of first impressions and the sort of details that later become so much a part of the everyday scene that they are no longer noticed.

To reflect contemporary sociological research, the following excerpt from a hypothetical researcher’s field notes describes a first meeting with two key informants during an ethnographic study of a modern housing rights organization (Phillippi & Lauderdale, 2018):

10/14/23, 11:00am

The researcher met Sarah and Marcus at the local tenant union office. The researcher was scheduled to be there at 10:30, but public transit was delayed, resulting in an 11:00am arrival. Sarah and Marcus did not seem bothered by the tardiness (Marcus: “We don’t keep a strict clock around here.”). Upon walking into the community center and heading to the back corridors, the researcher was unsure where to go and walked into the first open door, asking, “I’m looking for the tenant union office.” A volunteer showed the researcher into a large multi-purpose room (long and slightly irregular shape with windows on one wall, a folding table, and many mismatched chairs, along with two laptops set up on a counter running along the far wall). Two organizers were looking at a spreadsheet on one of the laptops. The researcher introduced themselves, and Sarah and Marcus introduced themselves. Both organizers shook the researcher's hand; Sarah was the first to do so with slightly more self-assurance than Marcus. Marcus told the researcher to put their bag on one of the empty chairs. The researcher placed their coat and bag in a corner behind the main folding table.

The description in those field notes continued for several more paragraphs. The goal of such an excerpt is to describe a location where a significant amount of time will be spent and to describe first impressions of potential key informants. It is standard practice to use quotation marks every time a person is directly quoted. Including as many direct quotes as possible is recommended, as such quotes provide support for the analytic points made later when describing patterns in the data. This is another reason that taking notes in the field is a good idea. Direct quotes may be difficult to remember hours or even minutes after hearing them; for this reason, a researcher may wish to write verbatim quotes while in the field and then describe the circumstances under which something was said later when writing up full notes after leaving the scene.

Another characteristic of field notes is the use of all capital letters and brackets in some places. This is a strategy for expressing personal feelings and impressions in field notes. While the distinction between what was actually observed and what a researcher thinks about what they observed is not always easy to make, most field researchers attempt to distinguish between these two categories of information.

The bracketed portions of field notes may never be used, but in some cases, they will become the early stages of data analysis. Notes from extended participant observation often include bracketed notes of both types. Sometimes, bracketed notes are used to express emotion or purge difficult thoughts or feelings. This can be helpful when a researcher feels upset about or annoyed by something that occurred in the field. Because field research requires developing personal relationships with subjects, and because interpersonal relationships all experience various highs and lows, it is important to express feelings about those relationships in the notes. Writing these more personal reflections may become important for analysis later, or they may simply be cathartic at the moment. They might also reveal biases a researcher has about the participants that should be confronted.

Every field researcher’s approach to writing up field notes will vary according to whatever strategy works best for that individual. Where brackets are used to document personal feelings and reflections on bits of data, other field researchers may use the comments function in a word processing program or use a different font type, size, or color to distinguish observations from reflections. Others might create two columns for their full field notes: one containing notes only about what was observed directly and the other containing reactions and impressions. There is no wrong way to write field notes. What is important is that the researcher adopts a strategy that enables accurate writing, includes as much detail as possible, and distinguishes observations from reflections.

Key Takeaways

• Descriptive Focus: When taking descriptive field notes, researchers should aim to make note of their observations as straightforwardly as possible.

• Flexibility: Field researchers use a variety of tools to facilitate note-taking in the field, including shorthand, smartphones, and voice recorders.

• Intentionality: In field research, observation is deliberate and requires a balance between engagement and documentation.

• Completeness: Note-taking continues after exiting the field, where researchers must immediately "fill in the blanks" of their brief notes to ensure accurate and detailed records.

Exercise

1. Observation Practice: Consider a standard note-taking exercise often completed in methodology classes. Find another person or two with whom to conduct observations and take notes for about 15 minutes (perhaps someplace in a campus library, student union, or dorm). Sit near peers who are also taking notes but do not talk with them during this portion of the exercise. Be sure to use all of the senses while taking notes: eyes, ears, nose, and sense of touch. When the 15 minutes are up, compare notes with peers. Where are there similarities? Where are there differences? Why do those similarities and differences exist? What strategy did each person employ to take notes? How might the approach to field note-taking change if asked to do it again?