Official and unofficial data

Abstract

Unofficial data are empirical findings that guide our research but are generally not reported. This article delineates four forms of unofficial data: casual observation of ourselves and others, unsystematic naturalistic observation, uncodable forms of clinical and phenomenological data, and accidental and nonquantifiable incidents and findings arising during pilot testing and data analysis. The article argues for a broadened conception of empiricism that recognizes unofficial data as data, explores the different contexts of the scientific process in which official and unofficial data are useful, and suggests the implications of the existence and utility of unofficial data for research and publication practices.