Mobile Research Diary — Smartphone-Based Diary Data Collection

A Mobile Research Diary is a data collection technique in which participants record thoughts, experiences, behaviours, or events in structured diary entries submitted via a smartphone or tablet app over a defined study period. By moving the diary onto a mobile device, researchers gain time-stamped, geolocation-optional data captured close to the moment of experience, reducing retrospective recall bias while maintaining the rich, naturalistic quality of traditional diary methods.