"Analytic Iteration in Field Research"

• In Event: "Bringing Fieldwork Back In-" To Political Science Research

Abstract

This paper argues that analytic iteration – cycling among collecting data, analyzing data, and refining critical aspects of research design – is central to all types of fieldwork-based empirical inquiry in political science, from field experiments to ethnography, and across the epistemological spectrum. Drawing on an original survey and more than 60 interviews of political science faculty, we challenge disciplinary norms that suggest the research process should be highly linear, and demonstrate how analytic iteration enhances the rigor of fieldwork. Fieldwork-based research often examines areas for which theory or empirical knowledge is underdeveloped, and requires reacting as the research environment evolves, making in-course research redesign necessary for fieldwork to contribute to our understanding of politics. In particular, iteration offers significant inferential benefits such as guarding against confirmation bias. We identify six principles that underlie analytic iteration and offer a set of concrete strategies for effective and fruitful iteration. This revaluation of iteration has significant implications for preparing for, conducting, and evaluating fieldwork, and for broader disciplinary norms and institutions.

Authors

• Diana Kapiszewski, Georgetown University

• Lauren M. MacLean, Indiana University, Bloomington

• Benjamin L. Read, University of California, Santa Cruz