To tape or not to tape: Reflections on Methods of Data Collection

A pivotal part of the qualitative research process is dependent on the collection of large quantities of interview data. Some insights into this part of the qualitative research task are presented here, based on the personal experiences of the two authors, Ruth Mattimoe and Treasa Hayes. Our observations relate to data collected for two major pieces of research. One of us (Ruth) chose the audio-tape route to gather her data, while the other (Treasa) opted for manual recording of interview material. We now share some of the lessons gleaned in the course of these respective research journeys. In order to provide some context for the discussion, we provide an overview of the two major studies (Mattimoe, 2002 and Hayes, 1996) for which the data were gathered. While both studies were interprevist, Study A, undertaken by Ruth, took the ‘tape’ route during interviews conducted for this research, whereas manual recording was the route chosen for data collection in Study B, which was undertaken by Treasa. Next, various aspects of the debate surrounding the question: ‘To tape or not to tape?’ are addressed. The discussion finishes with some final reflections which may be of use to other researchers