Challenges in Collecting Documentary Evidence: An Exploration of Academic Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh

This case study is based on original qualitative research investigating the effect of institutional and regulatory dimensions on academic entrepreneurship (AE) in Bangladesh. Initially designed to include semi-structured interviews with university and government stakeholders, the research was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made direct access to participants impossible. In response, the project shifted its focus to utilising documentary evidence—specifically, government policy documents and strategic reports—as its primary data source. The case study examines the practical and ethical challenges encountered during this methodological shift, including difficulties in accessing relevant documents due to the absence of a national repository, issues of interpretive reliability without participant engagement, and the cognitive demands of filtering unstructured policy texts. It also examines the successful application of a systematic approach to collecting and analysing documentary data, demonstrating how it helped maintain rigour and alignment with research objectives. This case study will be beneficial for researchers working in resource-constrained or disrupted contexts, such as during public health crises or in developing countries where institutional access is limited. It provides practical insights into how documentary analysis can be adapted as a primary method, offering guidance on maintaining methodological integrity and ethical standards in the absence of traditional fieldwork. Readers will learn how to critically evaluate and apply documentary evidence in qualitative research, understand the importance of flexibility in methodological design, and anticipate common challenges when navigating secondary data sources in complex or under-researched settings.