We explain what documentary research is, its types, characteristics and examples. Also, what techniques and methodology do you use.
What is documentary research?
A documentary investigation is one that It is characterized by using the consultation of written or recorded sourcesthat is, documentary sources, such as books, newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, recordings or films, etc. These types of sources serve the researcher as a sample or representation of the events that occurred and serve to try to draw conclusions regarding them.
Documentary research It is more frequent in humanistic fields and in the social sciencesgiven that the study of human beings or societies, especially past ones, can only occur indirectly, that is, through the material left by their ways of life and the written record of their activities.
This material is known as archive or also as sources. In that sense, the sources to which this type of research turns are usually of two types: primary and secondary.
- The primary sources They are those that provide first-hand information, that is, they consist of annotations or recordings of the event in question to be studied, such as the diary notes of a soldier in the middle of the war.
- The secondary sources On the other hand, they are those that refer to the facts indirectly, that is, based on reviews, criticisms or reconstructions made by someone. Such is the case of a biography of a famous person.
In all of this, documentary research is distinguished from other types of research, such as experimental research (which reproduces natural phenomena in a controlled environment) or field research (which goes out into reality to observe nature first-hand).
See also: Non-experimental research
Characteristics of documentary research
A documentary investigation is characterized by the following:
- The researcher studies your object of interest through existing documents on the subjectthat is, reading what others wrote about it.
- Create a document archive or durable sources of various types: writings, audiovisual recordings, sound recordings, etc.
- The textual quote is used as a verification or evidence mechanism, to support the arguments offered.
- It takes place in documentary units: libraries, newspaper archives, film archives, databases, etc.
- It has the limitation that You can only access what is referred to in the sources.
Documentary research techniques
A documentary investigation is based on different possible techniques of capture and fixation of the textimages or desired content, for subsequent rational and practical use.
In general, documentary investigations apply the citation or cited methodwhether textual or any other type, to indicate to the reader where the assertions and/or information shown come from, since the researcher is expected to demonstrate the path he took throughout the archival material, and not to engages in fiction, exaggeration or irresponsible generalization.
Types of documentary research
To differentiate the forms of documentary research, it is enough to look at the type of sources they consult, as follows:
- bibliographic research. Its sources are published books and magazines, as well as other printed texts, as long as they are not periodic in nature.
- Newspaper research. Its sources are mostly periodical publications, such as newspapers, magazines, magazines, etc.
- audiovisual research. As its name indicates, its sources consist mostly of sound records, films or other non-written formats, such as photographs.
- Archival research. In the latter case, the investigation uses practically everything that is in a specific file batch, such as someone's family documents, or the correspondence of an author of interest.
Methodology for documentary research
Each documentary investigation is particular and different, but in general terms it must comply with a methodology that consists of:
- Source tonnage. After choosing a topic or at least an area of interest to research, the first step is to consult what texts are available and within our reach on the matter, getting as specific as possible.
- Revision of sources. Once we know what there is on the topic, we can begin to filter the content, discarding what does not have to do with our specific point of view, and incorporating other new texts if necessary as we go.
- Material comparison. This is a more thorough review of the selected material, but this time taking textual quotes that allow us to map the arguments that will support our research.
- Interpretation of the material. The stage in which we add our grain of sand to what others have said, building our own point of view that relates what we have read and offers our own, novel look at the material.
- Conclusions. The closure of the investigation, which consists of reaching conclusions or final answers based on all of the above, collecting the most important points and explaining their meaning in a broader framework of things.
Examples of documentary research
A couple of examples of documentary research are the following:
- Apocalypse: World War IIan audiovisual documentary produced by CC&C and ECPAD, and broadcast on TV by France 2, uses material from the time filmed directly by war correspondents, soldiers and combatants of the French resistance, with the only exception that the black and white images black have been digitally colored.
- The Perpetual Orgy: Flaubert and Madame Bovaryby Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, is an essay about the French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) and his most famous novel, exhaustively reviewing the novel's sources and its relationship with its historical context. However, the author often allows himself moments of literary creation that are rare in this type of research.
Continue with: Types of research
References
- “Documentary research” in Ude@, virtual education (Colombia).
- “Documentary design” at the University of Jaén (Spain).
- “Documentary research techniques” at the National Autonomous University of Managua (Nicaragua).
- “Documentary research” (video) in Semilleros Virtuales.
