1. WRITTEN SOURCES OF DATA
Some social worlds, cultures and events are literate (documents are part of their everyday world and activities); others are non-literate; others are mixed. This affects the status of documents and narratives;
Some written data are deliberately written for research; others (the majority) are not;
Data deliberately written for research can be by the researcher and/or the researched (e.g. diaries) – insiders and outsiders;
If data were written for a purpose, agenda and audience other than research(ers) then there are problems of validity and reliability;