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Book review Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting

analysis, communicating impact (2nd ed.)

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COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
2019, VOL. 5, NO. 4, 408–409

BOOK REVIEW

Qualitative research methods: collecting evidence, crafting analysis,

communicating impact, by S. J. Tracy, West Sussex, UK, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 368
pp., $115.50 (hardback), ISBN: 978-1-4051-9202-3

Many people never think explicitly about [research methods], and if they do, they think that
research methods are difficult to learn and painstaking to conduct. However, you might be
surprised to discover that you engage in research every day- and these methods not only
provide important resources for understanding the world but are actually a common and
enjoyable way to spend out time (Tracy, 2013, p. 2).
The value of qualitative research lies in ‘its ability to be revelatory’ (Gioia, Corley, &
Hamilton, 2013, p. 18) by providing thick descriptions that allow social contexts to be
interpreted. However, it can be practically challenging for many scholars, especially young
researchers, to apply qualitative research methods in making sense of the social world.
Fortunately, we have pioneering scholars such as Gioia et al. (2013), Patton (2015), and
Creswell and Poth (2017) who provide instructive guidelines for conducting qualitative
studies. Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating
impact, solely authored by Sarah J. Tracy is one of those. Although it was published in 2013,
this book is still highly valued and gets widely cited. It is a very useful resource for qualitative
researchers (especially nascent scholars) who seek to understand communication processes
because of the author’s emphasis on providing practical suggestions for appreciating the
nature of the self, relationships, groups, organisations, and cultures in both face to face and
mediated contexts including virtual contexts made possible by new media.
Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact
consists of 14 chapters that could be categorised into four overarching foci. Chapter 1, 2, and
3 can be viewed as the first foci introducing the nature and theoretical foundation of
qualitative research. Then the author moves on to a series of chapters about gathering and
analysing data in qualitative studies. The author explicates pragmatic methods for conducting
qualitative research in the field (chapter 4), producing fieldnotes (chapter 6), conducting
interviews (chapter 7 and 8), the iterative approach of analysing and interpreting data
(chapter 9 and 10), and the trustworthiness in qualitative research (chapter 11). The third
foci are the processes associated with writing up and reporting qualitative studies (chapter 12
and 13). The author concludes this book by shedding light on the application of qualitative
work in diverse social contexts (chapter 14). At the end of each chapter, the author provides
exercises and a brief summary of key terms pertaining to the main discussion of each chapter,
which could be very helpful in reinforcing readers’ understanding of the texts discussed.
In contrast to Creswell and Poth (2017) highly cited text, Qualitative inquiry and research
design: Choosing from five approaches that adopts an interpretive frameworks and focuses on
providing the comparison among five different approaches to qualitative studies (i.e., narra-
tive research, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study), Qualitative
research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact does not
foreground approaches to qualitative studies in this way. Rather, as the title suggests, this
book pays close attention to delivering qualitative research in practice by providing general-
ised instructions for collecting data in the field, systematic instructions on basic and advanced
 COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 409

data analysis, and step by step directions for describing and reporting findings from the
analysis. In Creswell and Poth (2017) book, these foci are replaced by discussing specific data
analysis techniques and writing structures when examining the five qualitative approaches
addressed. In addition, Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis,
communicating impactsystematically articulates the process of going to the field, recording
participant observations, designing sampling plans, and conducting interviews- topics that
are treated in a more cursory manner in Creswell and Poth (2017). These features make this
book much more practically oriented than Creswell and Poth (2017).
Central to qualitative social research is the quest to understand the quality of human experi-
ence: how individuals, communities, and organisations make sense of experiences or changes in
their local contexts. Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, commu-
nicating impact offers methodological solutions to explore multiple realities and feasible ways of
describing and illustrating these social phenomena. Most importantly, it communicates concise
information and tactics for ensuring quality qualitative research is conducted and reported in
a rigorous, interesting, practical, aesthetic, and ethical manner.
Without doubt, this book’s coherence, breadth of focus and advice grounded in practical
examples will ensure it remains a favourite resource for a wide range of qualitative researchers
beyond the communication field. In a nutshell, Tracy’s text is valuable for both young and
advanced researchers who choose a qualitative research journey and producing
a comprehensive and finely nuanced understanding of social phenomena and practices that
captures the complexity and multiplicity of the world experienced. For scholars already
employing qualitative methods, the succinct overviews of methods for engaging research
subjects discussed in this book suggest practices of how to generate powerful insights that
allow qualitative research to contribute to and potentially reframe ongoing debates in
qualitative methodology.

References
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches
(4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on
the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Juan Liang
Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury
juan.liang@pg.canterbury.ac.nz
© 2019 Juan Liang
https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2019.1688620

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