ABSTRACT
This chapter helps people to: understand the importance of proper data handling; recognize when taking notes during observation is appropriate; understand the data-handling process for focus groups; understand the function of open, axial, and selective coding. Data handling may sound like nothing more than bureaucratic bookkeeping, but almost every method used by researchers in advertising and public relations is likely to generate a great deal of data. Both quantitative and qualitative researchers are likely to have thousands, or tens of thousands, of data points. Much of qualitative research relies upon interviewing and observation. From the in-depth interview to participant observation and ethnography, the qualitative researchers must take notes about the research environment and interpret these notes later. Sallot and colleagues used selective coding to identify key themes after a series of focus groups on public relations practitioners' Web use and how it relates to their status and power.
