As soon as you gather your first data (e.g. one interview, an observation, a text or image), try to write 200 words about it.

Go through the following stages:

• describe in simple terms what you see happening
• consider how this simple description can be improved by using any one concept with which you are familiar
• note what other data you will need to make your analysis more solid
• think about what further reading you need to do to improve your analysis.

Ask a fellow student to read through your data analysis in order to answer the following questions:

• Are they convinced by your claims about what the data show?
• If so, why? If not, why not?
• What could you do to make your report more convincing? (Tell your reader that you are not interested in using more jargon to do this but in applying concepts which make sense of your data.)