Review of established methods in event research

Abstract

In reviewing 165 of the most prominent event articles, this article provides a timely evaluation of prevalent research methods that have shaped event research in the past 16 years. We adopt critical case sampling and citation analysis approaches to identify 21 journals and the 165 articles. We subsequently analyzed the content of each article to reveal the method(s) used and classified these by journal and by year. To facilitate discussion about the findings, the article initially appraises the character of the event phenomenon and the implications of this for methods selection. This discussion portrays a largely social and contingent character to events that presents specific requirements to researchers seeking to interrogate it. The discussion pinpoints key considerations that should shape event researchers' decisions about their selection of methods. The findings reveal a preponderance of survey-based approaches and also very limited adoption of multiple methods. The findings also indicate a less prominent, but growing, application of subjectivist-oriented approaches, such as interviews, indicating a progressive trend that is discussed as being more favorable to the character of the subject matter. Ultimately we provide six precepts that emerge from this study, to signpost key considerations for event researchers as our discipline moves beyond the early stages of its development toward a more mature phase.