Qualitative Research and Audit Trails

Why care about audit trails? It is considered a way of insuring and assuring quality in less standardized qualitative studies.

The reason I mention it is the clarification and self-reflection required on the part of the researcher, resulting in a more rigorous research process and thus, theoretically, results. It includes the recording of the whole process as it relates to decisions made with respect to the resulting products and processes of your research, decisions we should automatically document for defense of our research.

Akkerman et al (2006) provide in Table II the audit trail components which, if you are interested, you should review along with the text associated with this Table. The authors’ include defining the problem, the conceptual framework or paradigm within which you will be working (useful for consistency in interpretation throughout the paper), the process document, etc. that all should reflect decisions taken along the research process. It seems a bit obvious when reading it, but while performing research, and if you lack experience in performing research as I do, this becomes a valuable guide to what you should be considering, retaining and recording as you progress.

They do speak to recommended strategies for documenting what you’re doing. These include: “…compulsive recording, use of a comfortable but consistent recording system, detailed description, immediate recording prior to digestion or discussion, and ongoing cross-indexing between notes and data.” In my case each time I made what I considered significant changes to my text, I kept a copy of the old word file. I think this fits nicely within the “compulsive recording” aspect. My weakness was in that I did not explicitly record all my decisions, though selected decisions are commented on in the first of my two articles. Robinson (2003, 175) mentions Smith’s (1999) “reflexive journals” which may provide a method for compulsive recording of thoughts. I’ll have to go check.

The intent of an audit trail is that an auditor can follow what you have done and may perform any checks required to ensure and assure the quality of the results also. I have a suspicion auditing by a third person will mostly occur within the context of a Masters or a PhD because of time constraints. But my focus, to repeat, is the assistance this activity may provide me in the creation of rigorous research and its related products.


Akkerman, S. et al (2006). “Auditing quality of research in social sciences.” Quality & Quantity, pre-publication copy available from SpringerLink for those with subscriptions, or from the Igitur Archive from the University of Utrecht.

Robinson, Z. (2003). “Exploring the audit trail for qualitative investigations.” Nurse Educator, 28(4), July/August, p. 175-178.