Diary method in information behavior research: A systematic literature review

Researchers in the social sciences, information science, and information behavior research commonly use the diary method as a highly flexible way to self-record activities in context and in real time, without the researcher's presence. The goal is to synthesize experiences with the diary method in information behavior research and to derive recommendations for future research. The literature review covered 86 records (77 empirical studies) published in Scopus and Web of Science before and in 2023. The diary method proved effective for exploratory research, capturing activities of information behavior in a rich context, especially internal factors such as feelings, thoughts, and motivations. Researchers' decisions (protocol structure, medium, pretesting, training, trigger, type and frequency of reminders, sampling, participant number, record number, data collection duration, and data analysis) significantly impact the quantity and quality of the data. Therefore, it is essential to consider them thoroughly before starting the research and describe them when publishing.