Politics or paranoia: Reading between the lines when undertaking social research studies

Abstract

Although reports of political issues in social research were popular in the 1960s and 1970s, more recent accounts of nursing research largely neglect this area. This paper highlights such political issues, offering guidance to help equip researchers to deal with these. Published reports of research studies necessarily present a linear account of how, and how well, the research question was answered. It is rare for research to follow so straightforward a path, because interwoven is a little discussed, but not uncommon, political arena. Standard texts offer plenty of guidance on research ethics, but there is little advice to help researchers walking a thin line between diverse political elements. This paper draws on the literature and provides examples from the authors' research to illustrate some of the key political scenarios researchers may face. The advantages and disadvantages of insider/outsider status are discussed in order to present a 'matrix of involvement' to illustrate key issues. It is suggested that as the pressure to undertake funded research rises there is likely to be an exponential increase in the complex political environments in which research takes place. This paper offers some pointers towards reading between the political lines and navigating research successfully towards a conclusion.