Using Narrative in Research

Serving as an introduction to narrative methods and narrative analysis, Christine Bold′s new book provides students, researchers, and other professionals with an introduction to the theory and practice of narrative approaches in research. This book provides clear coverage of the informing theories and principles that underpin narrative traditions and offers the reader guidance on the main methods of collecting and analyzing narrative data.

This book does everything that a methods book needs to do. It is practical, yet sets out the theory and history behind the approach, and it looks explicitly at design, ethics, data gathering, data analysis and writing as an ongoing process of narrative research. Bold′s text deals comprehensively with conceptual issues within narrative research and is driven throughout by a range of real research specific examples of narrative analysis in action.

This is an ideal text for any student, researcher or professional interested in understanding and using narrative in research and analysis; it practical, example-driven coverage is ideally suited to those new to the field.

My experience of getting politicians to heed research findings taught me the power of the killer statistic and the good anecdote. So a book that seemingly would explain the latter - albeit dressed up as ′narrative′ - had an appeal. But Bold here offers more than that...And it must be admitted that most of her own experience, and the examples she uses to support her argument, relate to research on professional practice and/or by practitioners...That makes the book all the more relevant to social research.
William Solesbury
SRA News