Firsthand reports from the field comprise some of the most valuable work in the social sciences. But findings are often controversial. Understanding how fieldwork is carried out can help readers assess ethnographic research.
References
1.
AtkinsonPaulCoffeyAmandaDelamontSaraLoflandJohnLoflandLyn. Handbook of Ethnography.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2001. A useful resource on the history of ethnography, its current disciplinary borders, substantive foci and methodological advances.
2.
DenzinNorman K.LincolnYvonna. Handbook of Qualitative Research.Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000. A definitive source on controversies, nuances, and new directions for all qualitative research, but particularly focused on ethnography.
3.
http://www.soc.sbs.ohio-state.edu/rdh/welist.htm. A comprehensive website that lists workplace ethnographies. This inventory of articles and books includes ethnographic research on organizations, cutting across a wide variety of disciplines.
4.
LoflandJohnLoflandLyn. Analyzing Social Settings.Third Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1995. First published in 1971, this is the longest standing primer on doing ethnography, covering data gathering, data analysis and data presentation.
