Método narrativo: introdução para iniciantes

The narrative method in research is discussed through a panoramic historical analysis and reflection on some aspects considered relevant for the introduction of beginning researchers in this issue. Thus, the article aims to analyze the narrative method through the understanding of its meanings, characteristics and types of uses in the center of the research. Considering the theoretical location of this method in the context of research with a qualitative approach, it opts for the analysis of its uses and implications in the scope of the human and social sciences. Since other factors that motivated this study lie in the observation that the narratives circulate in the most diverse types of oral, written and visual texts constituting a specific modality of discourse. Narratives make it possible to tell real and imaginary stories, and the boundary that differentiates these two types of stories is tenuous or even non-existent. It is also relevant to emphasize that these have an important scientific value when expressing the way the subjects signify their own experiences. Faced with this challenge, our methodology is based on conducting a bibliographic research with input from authors who have already been discussing the theme and putting the narrative method in the linguistic research scene. As a result of this study, we show that despite the narrative, it is historically present in humanity, its use as a method requires methodological theoretical attention. We conclude that this method can contribute significantly to research in the soft sciences, as it allows investigating more deeply the complex human issues.