A PhD usually takes several years. During that time you make hundreds of decisions: why you narrowed your topic, why you changed a research question, why you chose a particular sample, why you merged two codes, why you dropped a variable. By the time you write your methodology chapter or face your viva, many of these decisions are hard to remember. A research diary and an audit trail solve this problem by recording what you did, when you did it and why.
This post explains what a research diary and an audit trail are, why they matter, what to include, how to organise them, and how to use them in your thesis and viva.
What is a research diary?
A research diary (also called a research journal or reflective log) is a regular, dated record of your research activities, thoughts, decisions and reflections. It is personal and informal, but it is also a working tool. It can include:
- What you did today or this week.
- Ideas, questions and insights from reading.
- Notes from supervision meetings.
- Problems you encountered and how you solved them.
- Reflections on your role, assumptions and feelings during fieldwork.
- Plans and next steps.
What is an audit trail?
An audit trail is a more structured and systematic record of the decisions and processes in your research, kept so that another person could follow how you moved from raw data to findings. The idea is closely associated with Lincoln and Guba's work on trustworthiness in qualitative research, where an audit trail supports the dependability and confirmability of a study.
Audit trails are not only for qualitative research. In quantitative studies, they can document data cleaning steps, variable transformations, analysis decisions and changes to models. In both cases, the purpose is transparency.
Research diary versus audit trail
- Purpose: a diary supports your thinking and reflection; an audit trail documents decisions for transparency and accountability.
- Style: a diary can be informal and personal; an audit trail is structured and factual.
- Audience: a diary is mainly for you; an audit trail may be shown to supervisors, examiners or reviewers.
- Relationship: many researchers use their diary as the raw material from which the audit trail is built.
Why keeping them matters during a PhD
- Supports your memory: you can find out exactly when and why you made a decision.
- Strengthens your methodology chapter: you can describe your process accurately and in detail.
- Demonstrates rigour: it provides evidence of trustworthiness, especially in qualitative research.
- Supports reflexivity: it helps you notice how your background and assumptions shape your research.
- Prepares you for the viva: you can explain the reasoning behind your choices with confidence.
- Tracks progress: looking back can show how much you have achieved, which helps motivation.
- Helps with supervision: it gives structure to meetings and records agreed actions.
What to record
Conceptual and design decisions
- Changes to your topic, research questions or objectives, with reasons.
- Choice of theory, framework, philosophy and research design.
- Sampling decisions and changes in recruitment strategy.
Data collection
- Dates, settings and durations of interviews, observations or surveys.
- Changes to interview guides or questionnaires after piloting.
- Contextual notes and first impressions after each interview.
- Any problems, such as access issues or low response rates.
Data analysis
- Versions of your codebook and the dates of changes.
- Decisions to create, merge, split or delete codes, and why.
- How codes were grouped into categories and themes.
- For quantitative work, data cleaning steps, missing data treatment, outlier decisions and model changes.
Reflexive notes
- How your own experience, values or position may be influencing your interpretations.
- Moments of surprise, discomfort or changed understanding.
Supervision and feedback
- Key points from supervisor meetings, feedback received, and actions agreed.
How to organise your diary and audit trail
Choose a format you will actually use
The best format is the one you will keep up regularly. Options include a paper notebook, a word processor document, a note-taking app, a spreadsheet, or the memo feature in qualitative software such as NVivo, ATLAS.ti or MAXQDA. Many researchers combine formats, for example a digital diary for daily notes and a spreadsheet for the formal audit trail.
Use a consistent entry structure
A simple template helps. For each entry, record:
- Date
- Activity (what you did)
- Decision (what you decided, if anything)
- Reason (why you decided it, with any supporting reference)
- Evidence or file link (where the related document, data file or version is stored)
- Next step
Use version control for key documents
Save dated versions of important files, such as interview guides, codebooks, questionnaires and analysis scripts, for example "Codebook_v3_2026-03-15". Never overwrite earlier versions of documents that show how your thinking developed.
Make it a habit
- Write a short entry at the end of each working day or week.
- Write field notes immediately after each interview or observation, while details are fresh.
- Update the audit trail every time you make a significant methodological decision.
- Review your entries monthly to see patterns and progress.
Protect confidentiality
Diaries may include sensitive information about participants or organisations. Use pseudonyms, store files securely according to your ethics approval and data management plan, and be careful about what you share.
How to use them in your thesis and viva
- Methodology chapter: describe how you kept a research diary and audit trail, and use them to give an accurate account of your process.
- Trustworthiness section: refer to the audit trail as one of your strategies for dependability and confirmability.
- Reflexivity section: draw on reflexive entries to explain how your position may have influenced the research.
- Appendices: include selected, anonymised extracts, such as a codebook revision log or a sample of reflexive memos, if they help examiners understand your process.
- Viva preparation: review your audit trail before the viva so you can explain the reasons behind key decisions.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Starting the diary late in the PhD, after many key decisions have already been made.
- Recording what you did but not why you did it.
- Writing entries so brief that they are meaningless months later.
- Keeping notes in many scattered places with no system.
- Including identifiable participant information in unsecured files.
- Trying to reconstruct an audit trail at the end of the project from memory.
Final thoughts
A research diary helps you think, reflect and remember. An audit trail shows others how you reached your findings. Together, they make your research more transparent, your methodology chapter more accurate and your viva less stressful. Start early, choose a simple format, record your reasons as well as your actions, and make regular entries a habit. A few minutes of writing each week can save many hours of reconstruction later.