Ethnology utilises various qualitative datasets, from object collections to online discussions, in a versatile manner. Scholars of ethnology may find their research subjects in the past as well as the present, in both social and material phenomena of culture. These different dimensions are often integrated when conducting research. When studying phenomena of contemporary culture, ethnologists often go where the people are to observe and interview them. Many of the studies in the field are ethnographic in nature.
Ethnological studies combine modern trends with more than a century of research tradition focused on everyday life. In recent years, particular focus has been on the diversity of cultures, as well as questions related to the relationship between people and materiality. Focus on individual experiences and perspectives are common to different research themes and approaches.