An audit trail is a tool to increase trustworthiness in qualitative research. According to Rodgers and Cowles (1993, p. 219), it is:
- comprised of a variety of researcher-generated data that must be consistently and conscientiously recorded and skillfully organized throughout the research process.
- a means of tracking the evolving analysis and monitoring personal responses, or are to be presented in their entirety to a research auditor for more formal review and
assessment of confirmability, dependability, and credibility (Lincoln & Cuba, 1983)
That being said, audit trail is dependent on the study a researcher is engaged in, and despite the increasing need to prove trustworthiness in qualitative research, a lack of examples in audit trail is frustrating, especially for young researchers or PhD students. In the spirit of quality in qualitative research, audit trail is simply - a documentation of processes - thoughts, feelings, hunches, theoretical notes, methodological notes (including sampling frame etc), data collection and how they assist in arriving at your findings.
I however, managed to scour a few examples of audit trails that can be used as a reference:
This paper by Ang, Embi, & Yunus (2016) shows an example of audit trail using Atlas.TI; as a person who uses qualitative data software religiously, I find this paper helpful in assisting me in conducting my audit trail. Personally it is easier to conduct audit trail if you are using a software, as the software will keep things organised and documented.
A documentation on the process of relating quotation to a code, or code development
Documentation of categorization
2. A thesis by Mitchell (2016) provides a good example of audit trail organisation:
In short, there is no *specific format of an audit trail* (frustrating, yes), but researchers are free to do their own audit trail with the following elements:
- A documentation of the process involved in the research (preferably an illustration); from theory to data to findings; includes coding process
- A documentation of the documents used in the research, where they are being placed and how the documents inform your findings and discussion - this can be presented in the form of a table.
Audit trail is a tedious process, but the key is - to document first, and think later. Best of luck!
Key References:
Ang, C. K., Embi, M. A., & Yunus, M. M. (2016). Enhancing the quality of the findings of a longitudinal case study: Reviewing trustworthiness via ATLAS. ti. The Qualitative Report, 21(10), 1855.
Mitchell, F. M. (2016). Water is life: A community-based participatory study of the significance of water and its relationship to the health and well-being of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas (Doctoral dissertation).
Rodgers, B. L., & Cowles, K. V. (1993). The qualitative research audit trail: A complex collection of documentation. Research in nursing & health, 16(3), 219-226.
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