An Invitation to Social Research: How It's Done, 5th Edition

Emily Stier Adler, Roger Clark

Copyright 2015
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An Invitation to Social Research: How It's Done 5th Edition by Emily Stier Adler/Roger Clark

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Overview
Meet the Authors
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
Pricing

Overview

With real-world examples and an emphasis on ethics throughout, AN INVITATION TO SOCIAL RESEARCH: HOW IT'S DONE, Fifth Edition combines balanced coverage of quantitative and qualitative methods of social research with a unique “behind the scenes” approach. Built on focal research pieces and excerpts from real research projects, chapters present the insights, perspectives, and challenges of actual researchers in the field. The result is a comprehensive resource that guides readers step by step through the many stages of social research-from selecting a researchable question and designing a study to choosing the best method of data analysis for a particular study-and prepares them for the ethical issues and problems that they may face along the way. Reflecting the latest practices from the field, the Fifth Edition also integrates a greater emphasis on research focusing on evidence-based programs and policy.

Meet the Authors

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Emily Stier Adler

Emily Stier Adler is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Rhode Island College, where she taught for thirty-eight years. She has been a research consultant in a variety of settings and the director of Women's Studies at the college. In addition to THE ELECT: RHODE ISLAND'S WOMEN LEGISLATORS with co-author J. Stanley Lemons, her published work includes numerous articles on marriage, teenage pregnancy, adolescence, and political life. Her current research interest is the transition to retirement. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Tufts University.

Roger Clark

Roger Clark is Professor of Sociology at Rhode Island College, where he has taught for twenty-nine years. To date he has published sixty-six research articles and book chapters. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University.

What's New

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More relevant and timely than ever, AN INVITATION TO SOCIAL RESEARCH: HOW IT'S DONE, Fifth Edition integrates a greater emphasis on research focusing on evidence-based programs and policy.
New Chapter Objectives presented at the beginning of each chapter help students focus on key content, maximizing their study time and retention of important concepts.
Connecting text topics to real-world practice, Social Science research “in the news” features appear in many chapters, highlighting critical content specific to chapter material-such as legal battles over a drug education program.
Four new focal research pieces are incorporated into the new edition, bringing the total to thirteen. Chapter 6 now includes two new pieces on measurement-one explores ways to measure “happiness” and the other considers reliability and validity issues with current measures of “suicide”.

Features

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The text's unique “Thinking About Ethics” feature prompts students to thoroughly consider the ethics of social research as it applies to the various chapter topics.
Expansive coverage of emerging techniques in social research methods explores visual methods, GIS, and mapping patterns.
End-of-chapter exercises fully incorporate visual methods.
Focal research articles and excerpts highlight the logistical and ethical issues faced during real-world social research.
Quantitative and qualitative methods receive balanced coverage throughout the text.
End-of-chapter exercises give students hands-on experience analyzing all aspects of social research and the research process.
Stop and Think/Stop and Do exercises provide timely check-in points for students to ensure they completely understand material before moving on to new topics.

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1. The Uses of Social Research.
2. Theory and Research.
3. Ethics and Social Research.
4. Planning a Research Project.
5. Sampling.
6. Measurement.
7. Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal, and Case Study Designs.
8. Experimental Research.
9. Questionnaires and Structured Interviews.
10. Qualitative Interviewing.
11. Observational Techniques.
12. Using Available Data.
13. Content Analysis.
14. Applied Social Research.
15. Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis.