Keeping a research journal can be incredibly helpful. It allows for reflection on the process of research, not just on the results. Although the journal can include ideas related to theory and practice, the purpose of the journal is to improve the overall quality of research over time. According to the authors, a journal encourages the good habit of documenting work in real time. It also helps to create opportunities to develop and reflect on questions, concerns, and ideas about the research as they emerge in real time. A stream of consciousness style of writing enables the free flow of ideas related to research concerns, visions, and ideas. Another benefit of the research journal is to keep and critically engage with literature encountered during the course of investigation. Many of the thoughts and feelings that arise during the process of investigation and reading may help guide the research and report writing later, even if the journal itself is just a subjective material. As the authors point out, the researcher can incorporate ideas into emerging theories and suggestions for future research. A journal also allows the researcher to reflect on ethical issues, interactions, and the research role, setting, and process. The practice of research is a complex one, and journaling may be one of the best ways to simplify the act of prioritizing and time management. Finally, the research journal helps the researcher to formulate and develop ideas for future action related to theory or application. The process of research can be documented in ways that informs colleagues or remains confidential, depending on the researcher's preferences.
A theoretical framework guides the research process on multiple levels, including the design of the study, its methodology, and means of interpretation of results. Journaling in the early stages of research has been invaluable in helping me to sketch out my thoughts on core subject areas, using visualization and other graphical means that are informal and personally meaningful. Moreover, I can use the journal at this stage to accumulate data from prior literature and show how my ideas, concepts, and theories link up with established and prevailing paradigms. The journal, because it is informal, allows me to explore theories in ways that help me think more creatively and critically about the issues. Journaling allows me also to use visualizations in ways that might help with stimulating new ideas that could contribute to theoretical development. A journal can likewise assist with the conceptual framework. The concepts I encounter during the literature review process, for example, can be documented in my journal so that I can better define terms and clarify issues. By focusing on core concepts, I have been able to write more logical and clear research reports. The journaling process is much like a pre-writing exercise.
I have also found that research journals help with the emergent literature review process. Emergent literature review requires hours of hard work, and often that…
