fieldnotes

Fieldnotes are contemporaneous records created during fieldwork that document observations, events, interactions, and methods. They are used across disciplines including anthropology, ecology, linguistics, biology, archaeology, sociology, and geography.

They serve to capture details that may be forgotten, support analysis, and preserve contextual information such as location, time, participants, and researcher stance. They help ensure methodological transparency and reflexivity.

Typical contents include dates, times, places, weather, people present, setting descriptions, behaviors, conversations, sketches, lists of specimens or materials, and preliminary interpretations or questions. Entries may be descriptive notes, verbatim quotes, or coded observations.

Formats and practices: traditionally kept in bound notebooks with pencil, though digital notes, audio memos, and photos are common now. Entries should be dated and localizable, with clear attribution. Best practices include recording soon after observation, distinguishing description from interpretation, and maintaining an organized index.

Organization and ethics: fieldnotes should be organized for retrieval, often with an index and metadata. Ethical considerations include informed consent, privacy, cultural sensitivity, and compliance with legal restrictions on data and sharing.

Preservation and access: fieldnotes are often archived in libraries or research institutes; they may be digitized with metadata and stored in secure archives. Long-term preservation focuses on provenance and reproducibility.

See also: ethnography, field diary, field notebook, participant observation, qualitative research.