Memos provide a way to store and efficiently retrieve ideas, insights, interpretations, growing understanding or recognition of puzzles that have to be understood within your data. You may also wish to write analytic, methodological or theoretical memos and keep them separate from, but linked to, the sources of data from research events such as interviews or observations. Those memos grow, are themselves data and can become important sources within your project.
Memos can 'grow' into documents, or documents into memos. You can redefine the sources in your project as you make decisions about their role. You might for example write a document recording field notes of an observation. It can grow into a more reflective piece about the attitudes of participants and their significance in your study, so you can change it into a memo.
You can choose to link a particular source or node to its 'own' memo, indicating that the ideas, insights, reflections and information in its content are linked to that item. At any stage when you are considering the item, you can find and add to or edit its memo to store your reflections or discoveries.
In the Volunteering Sample Project
Memos have been linked to other items for the following reasons:
The memo Defining 'Volunteer' contains the researchers' reflections about the different meanings of this term. Given its relevance, this memo is linked to the tree node Meanings of Volunteer Work using a memo link.
The memo Mary's Interview - Context contains additional detail which may be relevant in the analysis of this source. This memo is linked to Mary's interview transcript document.
