Publisher Description

Written by internationally renowned experts, each chapter provides a full introduction to a key aspect of research methodology. From starting out to generating, analysing, and presenting data, this new edition covers foundational concepts in social research while also keeping students on the pulse of topics like digital social research, social surveys, and big data. Packed with international examples from across the social sciences, it shows how to interpret and work with data generated from real-world research. It gives you the tools to: - Design the right research question for your project - Access, understand, and use existing data - Effectively write up projects and assignments - Be confident in the A to Z of the research process Supported by an interactive website with videos, datasets, templates, and additional exercises, this book is the perfect hand-holder for any social science student starting a methods course or project.

Author Biography

Clive Seale has been Professor of Sociology (or Medical Sociology) at Goldsmiths and Queen Mary's (both University of London) and Brunel University. His work has concerned communication in health care and death in modern society. He has published extensively on research methods. His books include Constructing Death: the sociology of dying and bereavement (Cambridge University Press, 1998), The Quality of Qualitative Research (Sage, 1999), Media and Health (Sage, 2003) and Gender and the Language of Illness (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010, with Jonathan Charteris-Black). Recently, he has turned to fiction, publishing a novel, Interrogating Ellie (Cloiff Books, 2015) using the pen name Julian Gray. He is currently writing another novel. 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction and guide to using this book - Clive SealePart 1: Starting outChapter 2: Philosophy, politics and values - Clive SealeChapter 3: Research and theory - David SilvermanChapter 4: Ethics and social research - Suki Ali and Moira KellyChapter 5: Doing a literature review - Duncan Branley, Clive Seale and Thomas ZachariasChapter 6: Research questions and proposals - Moira KellyChapter 7: Research design - Clare Robinson and Clive SealeChapter 8: The dissertation - Chetan BhattPart 2: Generating dataChapter 9: Sampling - Clive SealeChapter 10: Questionnaires and interviews - Clive SealeChapter 11: Questions, measurements and structured observation - Clive SealeChapter 12: Qualitative interviewing - Bridget ByrneChapter 13: Focus groups - Fran TonkissChapter 14: Doing ethnography - David Walsh and Clive SealeChapter 15: Grounded theory - Clive SealeChapter 16: Doing historical and documentary research - Ben GidleyChapter 17: Combining qualitative and quantitative methods - Neil SpicerChapter 18: Digital Social Research - Clive SealePart 3: Doing AnalysisChapter 19: Preparing data for statistical analysis - Clive SealeChapter 20: Analysing single variables - Clive SealeChapter 21: Bivariate analysis - Clive SealeChapter 22: Causal arguments and multivariate analysis - Clive SealeChapter 23: Secondary analysis - Clive SealeChapter 24: Content and text analysis - Clive Seale and Fran TonkissChapter 25: Finding themes in qualitative data - Carol RivasChapter 26: Visual analysis - Suki AliChapter 27: Discourse analysis - Fran TonkissChapter 28: Analysing conversation - Tim RapleyChapter 29: Narrative analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis - Ann Griffin and Vanessa MayPart 4: Writing, Presenting, ReflectingChapter 30: Writing a research report - Carol RivasChapter 31: Giving oral presentations - David SilvermanChapter 32: Research quality - Clive Seale

Review

Concise and to the point. This is a highly useful methods book for approaching and teaching research on society and culture from start to finish, between qualitative and quantitative approaches. -- Robert Hafner
This brilliant book offers an authoritative exposé of all major aspects of empirical social research. The authors balance consideration for detail, necessary for hands-on research, with general methodological discussion, and show how both are necessary to achieve research excellence.
-- Rasmus Helles
This book has the potential to be a market leader. Seale put together a comprehensive collection of chapters that inspires students to take their classroom examination of methods out into the real world. This book moves ahead of many others by explaining concepts in a way that actively encourages students to engage with them and visualize how they can be used with actual problems. The authors address students directly on a personal level, rather than lecturing, which turns the book into the 'story of methods'. Such an experience means that chapters on theory and ethics draw students into everyday life reassuring them that these are important topics to consider within actual research. -- Grant Coates

Review Quote

Concise and to the point. This is a highly useful methods book for approaching and teaching research on society and culture from start to finish, between qualitative and quantitative approaches.

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