Data collectionLongitudinal dataParticipant recordsQualitative researchBehavior recordsSelf-report
Diary Method
Diary Method
Also known as: Diary method、Experience sampling method (ESM)、Reflection journal、Activity logs
Participants or staff continuously record events and insights to trace everyday change and processes. Adjust frequency and burden and distinguish unrecorded days from days without events. [1]
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Cost
- Low
- Duration
- Illustrative planning durations, not common standards: recording over days to months by purpose; design 1–2 weeks, analysis 2–4 weeks
Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examples
How it works at a glance
Diaries may be periodic or event-triggered. Activity records may be combined with feelings and reflections. [1]
Keep submission and recording timing and distinguish retrospective batch entries. Interpret with awareness that recording itself may affect behavior. [1]
- Design purpose and entries
- Develop and pretest formats
- Orient participants
- Record and monitor
- Collect and check quality
- Analyze data
When to use it and when it is unsuitable
When to use it
- Record learning, growth and behavior-change processes over time
- Track everyday experiences, habits and changes missed by one-off studies
- Evaluate reflection in training, coaching or support
- Reduce recall bias and obtain records closer to contemporaneous experiences
When it is unsuitable
- Insufficient literacy, time or motivation leads to recording attrition
- Brief one-off programs without need for longitudinal tracking
- Recording awareness is likely to change behavior, especially in management or assessment settings
Participants, roles, and deliverables
Participants and roles
Evaluators coordinating recording/support and recorders with relevant experiences. Set numbers and duration from analytical resources and burden.
Main deliverables
- Diary records by participant and day
- Aggregation and time-series report
- Thematic findings for open responses
Implementation steps
- Design purpose and entriesSet content, frequency and format from questions. Pilot recording time and burden and adjust to sustainable participation.
- Develop and pretest formatsProvide repeated items for structured diaries or prompts for open accounts. Have intended recorders test volume and clarity.
- Orient participantsExplain purpose, methods, submission frequency and use, including no diversion beyond evaluation, and obtain written consent. Explain no right/wrong answers and welcome honest accounts for psychological safety.
- Record and monitorCheck recording using agreed frequency and modes. Investigate time pressure or difficult questions and adjust reminders to avoid increasing burden.
- Collect and check qualityCollect diaries at period end and check missing days, blank items and consistency. Analyze missingness where record volumes vary and examine systematic bias.
- Analyze dataSummarize structured data with time-series graphs and descriptive statistics. Analyze open text thematically or by content, emphasizing early/middle/late change. Compare shared patterns with individual differences.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Contemporaneous recording substantially reduces recall bias
- Visualizes changes, learning curves and processes longitudinally
- Obtains inner experiences and meanings difficult through other methods
- Relatively inexpensive using paper or free digital tools
Limitations
- Attrition and incomplete records can reduce credibility
- Awareness of recording can produce self-presentation bias
- Large text datasets require time and analytical skills
- Burdensome items or frequency cause fatigue and attrition
Common pitfalls
- Avoid excessive items. Focus on necessary information and adjust time and psychological burden through pilots and interim checks.
- Overemphasizing accuracy can make participants guarded. Keep an invitation to freely describe feelings and insights.
- Do not merely store collected diaries. Set who analyzes when and how beforehand.
Conditions of use and evidence
- Diaries and logs record activities and changing conditions over time. [1]
Record attempts to use plans after training
A fictional illustration: staff briefly record plan-related actions and difficulties for 2 weeks.
Scroll horizontally to view the table
| Day | Fictional record | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Showed supervisor draft indicators and revised person-count definitions | Record of use process |
| Tuesday | No record | Unrecorded, not no activity |
| Wednesday | Meeting postponed; could not use plan | Record of no opportunity |
Common errors in judgment
Common mistake
Average blanks as satisfaction 0
How to revise
Separate unrecorded entries as missing
ReasonNon-response differs from the lowest scale value.
Common mistake
Require long daily open accounts
How to revise
Use brief necessary items and optional text
ReasonBurden makes sustained participation difficult.
Organize your thinking by writing
Diary design and participant recording form
A practical template is available to fill in and print on A4 paper.
Open worksheetRelated methods
References and checked sections
- Journals and logsBetterEvaluation
- Section consulted
- Journals and logs opening definition
- How it relates to the text
- Diaries and logs record activities and changing conditions over time.
Editorial and checking information
How to cite this page
EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Diary Method”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/methods/diary-method/
Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.
Change history
- — Checked sources for definitions and conditions and added fictional examples, judgment rationales and completed entries for every field. Revised unsupported historical or uptake claims. Reviewed procedures and cautions, adjusting fixed counts, thresholds and institutional generalizations. Preserved field positions, types and counts while revising fixed conditions and thresholds.