Glossary of Arts & Humanities Research Methods and Approaches

Archival research uses sources from archives, special collections, or other repositories. Archival sources can be manuscripts (i.e. something written by hand), records (including electronic records), physical objects, or audio, visual, and audiovisual materials. Archival research might also include thinking about how, and why, the material came to be assembled in that archive.

Close reading analyses the structure, vocabulary, and style of a text to uncover its rhetorical strategies and understand its implicit and explicit goals. It can be used to analyse all sorts of texts, from fiction to advertisements or political speeches.

Co-creation involves working with stakeholders as equal partners to produce something collectively. Research is done with a community, rather than being done on or to a community. It might also be called co-design, co-development, or co-production. See also participatory research.

Computational methods use algorithms and mathematical models to analyse data, solve problems, or simulate scenarios. They are particularly useful for analysing large data sets.

Conceptual analysisis a philosophical approach which analyses the meaning of concepts within arguments. 

Corpus linguistics assembles and conducts computer-assisted analysis of large sets of real-world language data on how language is being used in practice.

Desk-based methods involve studying data that have already been produced. This can also be called secondary research.

Discourse analysis is a qualitative approach which studies written or spoken language in real-world situations to uncover how it reflects and shapes social norms, attitudes, and power dynamics. Attention is paid to the context of the utterance, and to who is speaking to whom.

Doctrinal legal research analyses statutes and judicial precedents to identify the applicable principles, standards, and procedures of law.

Empirical research bases its conclusions on observable evidence.

Ethnography involves studying people within their own environment. Methods used include observation, field notes, informal conversations, and interviews.

Geo-spatial science uses computer software to collect and interpret spatial data.

Historical phonology studies how the sounds of languages change over time and reconstructs the sound systems of past forms of language. .

Mixed methods combine qualitative and quantitative methods.

Open science is committed to making academic research freely accessible and transparent to all. It involves publishing research without paywalls; sharing raw research data so they can be tested and reused; making computer code and software public and free to use; and being transparent about the methodology used.

Participatory research is a collaborative approach that involves the people whose lives are affected by an issue as equal participants in the research process. See also co-creation.

Philosophical argument involves reasoning from grounding assumptions (or 'premises') to a conclusion using deductive, inductive or abductive reasoning. It is also used to identify flaws in reasoning. 

Oral history is the collection and analysis of historical information that has been gathered through interviews with individuals about their experiences, and their memories and perceptions of those experiences.

Phenomenological research learns about the lived experience of participants from their perspective.

Primary research is the collection of new data for a specific project.

Qualitative methods deal with words and meaning.

Quantitative methods analyse numerical data.

Reading against the grain is a critical approach that analyses a text in opposition to its author’s intentions. It looks for biases, silences, gaps, and missing perspectives. Reading along the grain is the opposite: it seeks to understand the text as the author intended.

Reflective equilibrium is a philosophical method for testing intuitions and principles against their practical implications. It can be conducted at an individual or group level. 

Semi-structured interviews combine pre-determined questions with the opportunity for the interviewer to ask questions to follow up on responses, or explore emergent themes.

Socio-legal research is an interdisciplinary approach that explores how law operates within society,the real-world impact of legal systems, as well as how social, political and economic factors influence the creation and operation of the law. It draws on a range of methods, including doctrinal and empirical research.

Speculative methods are creative approaches used to imagine potential futures, investigate unknowns, and challenge assumptions and the status quo.