The process of social research / Jeffrey C. Dixon, College of the Holy Cross, Royce A. Singleton, Jr., College of the Holy Cross, Bruce C. Straits, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Why care about research methods? -- Science and social research : from theory to data and back -- The ethics and politics of research : doing what's "right" -- Research designs : it depends on the question -- Measurement : linking theory to research -- Sampling : case selection as a basis for inference -- Experiments : what causes what? -- Surveys : questioning and sampling -- Field research and in-depth interviews : systematic people watching and listening -- Existing data analysis : using data from secondhand sources -- Multiple methods : two or more approaches are better than one -- Quantitative data analysis : using statistics for description and inference -- Qualitative data analysis : searching for meaning -- Reading and writing in social research : it's all about communication -- Glossary.