Ethnographic and interview-based research in the social sciences requires consistent navigation of reflexivity through all stages of practice. Yet reflexivity is often articulated in abstract, verbose terms, offering limited practical guidance. This paper posits “notebook unveiling” as a simple technique: placing a notebook visibly on the table when ‘on the record’ and removing it when ‘off.’ This act foregrounds the notebook as an artefact, signalling and shaping power relations between interviewer and interviewee. The research was refined through informal scoping interviews, semi-structured interviews, and ethnographic observation across two interpretive political science projects. Findings suggest that focused attention on the visibility of notetaking can enhance trust, deepen understanding, clarify interactional boundaries, and enable mutual reflexivity. While only one element of multimodal communication, this practice is especially valuable in organisational ethnography and insider research, where role boundaries are fluid and require careful negotiation.
