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A number of participants and observers of folk practices use digital tools and platforms to conduct directed research, often on very specific subjects. The last twenty years has seen a significant increase in the academic study of folk traditions in England from a variety of disciplines (ethnomusicology, musicology, folklore, ethnochoreography, English, politics, history etc.). Many of these academics will conduct fieldwork, using digital devices to capture images and sounds for later transcription and/or analysis at events or during interviews. Increasingly they will also use forums, social media and online platforms such as YouTube to conduct ‘e-fieldwork’. They may also access archival information online, catalogue information, transcriptions, images and scans, rather than visiting a physical archive. It is not just academic researchers, however, that conduct directed specialist researchers. Professional performers may use the same tools and platforms to research songs to perform, specific elements of style or the history of their performance. So may development officers and auditors for the various public organisations that support folk arts to inform reports, business plans and grant allocations.