News

After many queries on how to design diary studies - especially with busy participants - Emily F. Henderson and Ahmad Akkad have published an article which sets out a framework to help researchers to design diary studies (particularly with a focus on work and workplaces, but the framework also applies more broadly).

The WDDF (Work-related Diary Design Framework) is illustrated with three diary studies with academics as participants:
- A diary study with doctoral supervisors on responding to potential applicants, part of the PADC project (www.warwick.ac.uk/PADC )
- Ahmad Akkad's PhD study on displaced Syrian academics

- A study on academics with caring responsibilities attending conferences (www.warwick.ac.uk/I2POLink opens in a new window )

This article has been published as part of the work of the Diary Method Community (https://diarymethodcommunity.wordpress.comLink opens in a new window ) which is an online community of practice focused on diary method. The Community sits within DEAR.

Full citation and link to the OPEN ACCESS paper:
Henderson, E. F., & Akkad, A. (2026). Designing diary studies for academics and other ‘busy’ professionals: Challenging assumptions via the work-related diary design framework (WDDF). Qualitative Research, 0(0).

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14687941261469413Link opens in a new window