11/2/2017 Audit Trail - SAGE Research Methods

Audit Trail
In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods

 ENCYCLOPEDIA

Edited by: Lisa M. Given

Published: 2008
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n25

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An audit trail in qualitative research consists of a thorough collection of documentation regarding

all aspects of the research. Qualitative inquiry typically involves a design that constantly
changes or emerges through the iterative processes of data collection and analysis and requires
that the researcher make frequent decisions that can alter the course of the study. As a result,
records of study processes can be vital in later providing justification of these actions. The audit
trail provides a mechanism for retroactive assessment of the conduct of the inquiry and a means
to address issues related to the rigor of the research as well as the trustworthiness of the
results.

Typical documentation that constitutes this trail of evidence includes notes about data collection
experiences, documentation of changes in design, the researcher's experience in the conduct of
the study, and memos generated during data analysis. Fieldnotes are composed of the
researcher's observations of a setting during a data collection encounter, including notes about
the context of a data collection episode. Methodological notes contain critical information
regarding alterations in design or data collection strategies. The audit trail enables the
researcher to reconstruct the steps of the study and later provide justification for any changes
that took place. Both the strategy and the rationale for the change are needed to provide
evidence of the purpose and appropriateness of any modifications.
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A reflexive journal provides a means to keep track of the researcher's thought processes during
the study. Because the work of data analysis in qualitative research relies heavily Back
on the
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cognitive processes of the researcher, the ability to document these processes and capture the
researcher's own insights, interpretations, and reactions can be beneficial to the analysis
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11/2/2017 Audit Trail - SAGE Research Methods

process. In practice, there is considerable overlap among all of these aspects to be documented
such that the separation of notes into unique bodies of evidence may be detrimental to the
process of comprehensive record keeping. Fieldnotes may stand alone as a source of data,
whereas the other components generally are closely integrated. Computer software designed for
qualitative data analysis can be helpful in the construction of an audit trail through the ability to
save copies or printouts of various stages of the analysis process as well as to record notes
within the software while working with data.

The importance of an audit trail may be debatable for some forms of qualitative inquiry. Projects
involving a team of researchers or large-scale program evaluation may find the audit trail
technique particularly beneficial in demonstrating accountability throughout the research
process. However, researchers using highly interpretive processes, such as hermeneutic inquiry,
may find that documentation of the cognitive processes of analysis is especially challenging.

Beth L.Rodgers

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n25

See also

Auditing
Emergent Design
Rigor in Qualitative Research
Trustworthiness

Further Readings

Lincoln, Y. S., &Guba, E. G.(1985). Naturalistic inquiry.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Rodgers, B. L. , & Cowles, K. V. The qualitative research audit trail: A complex collection of
documentation. (1991).,16.219–226.

Schwandt, T. A., &Halpern, E. S.(1988). Linking auditing and metaevaluation: Enhancing

quality in applied research.Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

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