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Archival research is an observational approach that involves analyzing pre-existing archival data that were originally collected for some other purpose, rather than actively collecting new data.

Archival Research

The primary advantage of archival research is its efficiency in terms of time and money. Since this method involves analyzing existing data, researchers do not need to interact directly with participants, which considerably reduces the resources required for data collection.

Pros of Archival Research

The main disadvantages of archival research stem from the data being pre-existing. Researchers have no control over how or what kind of data was collected, must frame their questions based on the available data, and may face inconsistencies across datasets that hinder comparison.

Cons of Archival Research

An illustration of archival research involves a researcher examining the academic records of college students from the last decade. By analyzing data points such as the time taken to graduate, course loads, grades, and participation in extracurricular activities, the researcher can identify patterns. This analysis can reveal which student demographics are more likely to successfully complete their degrees and highlight potential risk factors for those who struggle academically.

Example of Archival Research: Analyzing College Records

Archival records can take different forms. Historically, researchers relied on physical archives, which often took the form of stacks of paper files kept on shelves. Today, digital records are prevalent, with data stored and accessed via computers.

Forms of Archival Records: Physical vs. Digital

A team of researchers wants to investigate the relationship between urban green space and public health outcomes over the last 50 years in a major city. Which of the following proposed research activities best exemplifies an archival research approach?

Archival research can involve complex measurement and analysis of historical qualitative data. In one study, researchers examined the relationship between optimism and health by analyzing open-ended questionnaires about wartime experiences completed by college students in the 1940s. They used content analysis to extract an explanatory style score for each participant, and then assessed the statistical relationship between these early optimism scores and archival measures of the men’s health at age 60, finding a positive correlation (Pearson’s $$r = +.25$$).

Example of Archival Research: Optimism and Health

Content analysis is a family of systematic approaches used to measure and extract meaning from complex archival data. It requires researchers to specify keywords, phrases, or ideas of interest and then locate all occurrences of them within the data so they can be counted, timed (e.g., the amount of time devoted to a specific topic on a news show), or analyzed in a variety of other ways.

Content Analysis

What is the primary characteristic of archival research?

A researcher examines 30 years of hospital admission records to investigate seasonal patterns in depression diagnoses. This qualifies as archival research because the hospital records were originally created for medical and administrative purposes, not for the researcher's current study.

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