Methods in Ethnographic Papers

An ethnographic paper presents an insider's view of a culture, often with the aim of answering a specific research question. In an ethnographic paper, the methods section explains what the researcher did, and how she did it. She must clearly present how she learned the information described in the paper, including what questions she asked her informants, and how she selected these references.

Ethnographic Methods In the Field

The basis of ethnographic research is participant observation, where the researcher lives among the people he is studying for a long period of time. During this time, he participates in daily activities and makes observations on community life. As the researcher's work progresses, he may focus on a specific research question. Answering this research question may require certain ethnographic methods that the researcher must describe in his ethnographic paper.

Interview Methods

Aside from participant observation, the researcher might gather information through interviews. Formal interviews are lengthy and in-depth, and involve specific questions related to the research question. Informal interviews are open-ended discussions that do not involve specific questions. In the ethnographic paper, the researcher must describe what interviewing method she used and, in the case of a formal interview, list the questions she asked.

Sampling Methods

Formal interviews can only involve a few informants because they are very involved. Researchers select these informants using specific sampling methods. When the researcher selects people because he thinks they will give informative answers, that is judgment sampling. Alternatively, the researcher may choose informants at random. Whatever the sampling method used, it must be described in the methods section of the paper.

Alternative Ethnographies

In modern ethnographies, a researcher might write a report that is closer to a memoir than a scientific research paper. Such a report would not have a specific section devoted to describing the methods the researcher used. Instead, the researcher would work a description of what she did and how she did it into the narrative more naturally.

References

• Penn Anthropology: Drafting the Paper
• University of Manitoba; Cultural Anthropology, Module 1 Introductory Overview: Concepts, Methods, and Theories; Brian Schwimmer; 1996
• "Ethnography: Step-by-Step"; David M. Fetterman; 2009