Cartography of evidence, ethics and engagement: Researcher decisions in (re)presentation

Abstract

A novice researcher may anticipate that on completion of gathering evidence, the decision-making involved in a project might become more straightforward. Typically, ethics committees and review boards have asked researchers to look ahead in consideration of research design and conduct to the gathering of evidence. However, decisions about representation and presentation of research contain further challenges and tensions. There are researcher decisions in determining what to say, how to say it and to whom. In the field of qualitative inquiry, there are multiple and increasing (re)presentational options and recognition of diverse standpoint epistemologies with implications for these researcher decisions. The core of this article is a written script or ethnodrama, the presentation of research in the form of a play. The dialogue in this play originates from questions, information and reflections recorded in my journals during one project and related to decisions of representation and presentation of research for audiences.