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Research Notes

Research Notes in African Affairs are peer-reviewed short papers that encourage debate and analysis of recent methodological and ethical issues in African studies. The research methods used to study Africa have changed radically over the last thirty years. Research Notes allow researchers to share insights into these issues and to critique recent developments in the field as well as long established practices. In other words, they are papers on research methods for the study of Africa, exploring fresh trends, controversies and debates.

Instructions on submitting a Research Note

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Stigmatized Professions and Ambiguous Subjects: Methodological Reflections from Sanitation Workers and Opioid Consumption in Sierra Leone
Ibrahim Bakarr Bangura and others
Research with African Adolescents: Critical Epistemologies and Methodological Considerations
Kuukuwa O Manful
Matched Sampling Methodology Reconsidered: The Role of Trust in Studying Remittance Transfers Between Ghanaian Immigrants in the UK and their Relatives in Ghana
Geraldine Asiwome Ampah
Multiplicity and simultaneity in ethnographic research: Exploring the use of drones in Ghana
Edem Adotey
We All Need Philosophy Of Science: Analyticism As A Vehicle For Explanatory Understanding In Multi-method Research
Faith I Okpotor
Introduction: Methodologies for researching Africa
George M Bob-Milliar
Manipulating Africa? Perspectives on the experimental method in the study of African politics
Justine M Davis
Social network research in Africa
Zoe Marks and Patrycja Stys
Intersectionalities and access in fieldwork in postconflict Liberia: Motherland, motherhood, and minefields
Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso
The politics of narrative: Methodological reflections on analysing voices of the marginalized in Africa
Gediminas Lesutis
The study of violence and social unrest in Africa: A comparative analysis of three conflict event datasets
Leila Demarest and Arnim Langer
The potential and pitfalls of collaborating with development organizations and policy makers in Africa
Susan Dodsworth and Nic Cheeseman
Navigating epistemic disarticulations
Grace A Musila
Studying political settlements in Africa
Pritish Behuria and others
Africa and international relations: Assembling Africa, studying the world
Rita Abrahamsen
Archival research in Africa
Samuel Fury Childs Daly
Film as research method in African politics and international relations: Reading and writing HIV/AIDS in Tanzania
Sophie Harman
Research note: Exploring survey data for historical and anthropological research: Muslim–Christian relations in south-west Nigeria
Insa Nolte and others
Research Note: Africa by numbers: Reviewing the database approach to studying African economies
Morten Jerven
Research Note: Mistakes, crises, and research independence: The perils of fieldwork as a form of evidence
Christopher Cramer and others

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Instructions on submitting a Research Note

The key features of Research Notes are that they should:

  • be around 4,000-5,000 words long; 

  • (address an issue of particular methodological or ethical importance to African studies; 

  • consider recent developments within the field in addition to the author's own personal experience; and, 

  • make a contribution to our understanding of how Africa can be studied, and the pros and cons of different approaches.

With the exception of the word length, the formatting and style requirements for Research Notes are the same as for standard African Affairs articles, and authors should follow the style guide. Research Notes should be submitted via the online submission site but authors are advised to contact the editors in advance to ensure that a Research Note on a similar topic has not already been submitted. While Research Notes are only published occasionally, we accept submission at any time. Papers are subjected to the same peer review processes as original research articles.

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