Field Methods (Journal)

Field Methods is a refereed journal that publishes articles on methods for studying human thought and human behavior. Research articles show the development of [Page 341]new methods or new uses for existing methods. The “Short Takes” section contains articles with handy tips for working in the field. Field Methods also publishes reviews of books and software and think pieces addressing key theoretical issues.

Field Methods began in 1989 as the Cultural Anthropology Methods journal. A decade later, in recognition of the increasing interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter, it changed its name to Field Methods. Since its inception, it has been under the editorship of H. Russell Bernard. Articles examine data collection techniques and modes of analysis, the link between method and theory, and the impact of new technology on traditional field research activities. Embracing both qualitative and quantitative methods in scientific and interpretive paradigms, the journal operates under the motto “methods belong to all of us.”

Field Methods not only is for researchers in the social sciences and the humanities, but also is for professionals in the delivery of social services, in government, and in the private sector who use field research to acquire knowledge.

Examples of articles include the following:

• “The Active Participant-Observer: Applying Social Role Analysis to Participant Observation,”
• “Adaptation of Venue-Day-Time Sampling in Southeast Asia to Access Men Who Have Sex With Men for HIV Assessment in Bangkok,”
• “Communication Problems Between Researchers and Informants With Speech Difficulties: Methodological and Analytic Issues,”
• “Child Survival in Affluence and Poverty: Ethics and Fieldwork Experiences From Iceland and Guinea-Bissau,”
• “Using Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software to Develop a Grounded Theory Project,”
• “Collecting Data Among Ethnic Minorities in an International Perspective,”
• “Considerations for Collecting Freelists in the Field: Examples from Ethnobotany,”
• “Some Field Methods in Medical Ethnobiology,”
• “An Ecological Framework for Participatory Ethnobotanical Research at Mt. Kasigau, Kenya,”
• “Ethnography and Experiments: Cultural Models and Expertise Effects Elicited With Experimental Research Techniques,”
• “Checking for Relationships Across Domains Measured by Triads and Paired Comparisons,”
• “Photo Interviews: Eliciting Data Through Conversations With Children,” and
• “Thinking Aloud to Create Better Condom Use Questions.”