Learning in the Field by Rossman and Rallis Chapter 6

Access is a continuous process of building relationships. Access is more than physical entry or obtaining permissions. The process of gaining access takes time and is an insightful process about your environment. You must make contacts (phone or letter), negotiate with gatekeepers, obtain “invitations” to participate, get oral and written permissions and build relationships.
Be Prepared: Know why you are in the setting. Be able to explain your presence. Be able to state your strategy. Be informed about all of the players involved in the setting.
Have a clear conceptual framework. The conceptual framework provides a focus and purpose, allows you to define your strategy, and provides a rationale for your research decision-making.
Your role and interactions will be defined by the context of your setting. Your strategy and the genre of research will also shape your role. Participation is a continuum that ranges from co-participation to immersion as a participant to isolation as an outside onlooker. Different degrees of participation either facilitate or hinder data collection. Immersion and co-participation enable the researcher to learn the specialized language and norms of the setting and are more likely to yield a deep emic understanding than simply standing around and watching people.
Portrayal of Your Role is important. Do you make your presence known? Will you quietly blend into the setting and hide your purpose and research persona? Will you be truthful, but vague?
Amount of time required for your research is shaped by the design. More involvement requires more time.
Negotiations are ongoing. Trusting relationships build trustworthy research reports. Clarifying your relationship as a researcher to your participants.
Define ownership of data at the beginning of the process and define who can review and edit a written report. Remember that reciprocity recognizes the need for mutual benefit in interactions. You obtain data and the participants “find something that makes their cooperation worthwhile.”
Build a good relationship with the gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are the people in your setting who control avenues of access. Sponsors, gatekeepers, and key sources of information determine, in part, the quality and quantity of data. Gatekeepers can make or break your study. Handle them gently.Find a common bond on which to build a sense of shared understanding