Bringing together the work of over eighty leading academics and researchers worldwide to produce the definitive reference and research tool for the social sciences, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods contains more than 230 entries providing the widest coverage of the all the main terms in the research process. It encompasses philosophies of science, research paradigms and designs, specific aspects of data collection, practical issues to be addressed when carrying out research, and the role of research in terms of function and context. Each entry includes: - A concise definition of the concept - A description of distinctive features: historical and disciplinary backgrounds; key writers; applications - A critical and reflective evaluation of the concept under consideration - Cross references to associated concepts within the dictionary - A list of key readings Written in a lively style, The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods is an essential study guide for students and first-time researchers. It is a primary source of reference for advanced study, a necessary supplement to established textbooks, and a state-of-the-art reference guide to the specialized language of research across the social sciences.
In this Fourth Edition of The SAGE Dictionary of Qualitative Inquiry Thomas A. Schwandt provides a guide to the terms and phrases that help shape the origins, purpose, logic, meaning, and methods of the practices known as qualitative inquiry. This edition features 20 additional terms as well as a restructured Reader’s Guide. Key references have been updated and select terms and phrases from previous editions have been reorganized and greatly expanded. Together, the dictionary entries provide a guide to the methodological and epistemological concepts and theoretical orientations of qualitative inquiry. This one-of-a-kind resource is ideal for readers who are navigating various perspectives on qualitative inquiry, working on a qualitative dissertation, or are launching their own investigations into the issues covered.
′This comprehensive work extends general ideas, concepts, and techniques of qualitative research into the realm of management research...This is a crucial reference tool for anyone conducting research in this field of study′ - CHOICE With over 100 entries on key concepts and theorists, the Dictionary of Qualitative Management Research provides full coverage of the field, explaining fundamental concepts and introducing new and unfamiliar terms. This book provides: - Definitions - Examples in the field of management studies - Criticisms and possible future directions Engagingly written by specialists in each area, this dictionary will be the definitive and essential companion to established textbooks and teaching materials in qualitative management research.
A Dictionary of Social Research Methods offers succinct, clear, expert explanations of key terms from both method and methodology in social research, in over 300 entries. It covers the whole range of qualitative, quantitative, and other methods; and ranges from practical techniques like correlation to methodological approaches such as ethnography. This wide-ranging approach enables it to cover terms needed by every social science discipline along with business and management, education, health, and other areas that encompass social research within their remit. This is a reliable resource for students, academics, and professional researchers who undertake social research, or need to evaluate and present its results.
The SAGE Dictionary of Statistics provides students and researchers with an accessible and definitive resource to use when studying statistics in the social sciences, reading research reports and undertaking data analysis.
The SAGE Handbook of Social Research Methods is a must for every social-science researcher. It charts the new and evolving terrain of social research methodology, covering qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods in one volume. The Handbook includes chapters on each phase of the research process: research design, methods of data collection, and the processes of analyzing and interpreting data. The volume maintains that there is much more to research than learning skills and techniques; methodology involves the fit between theory, research questions research design and analysis. The book also includes several chapters that describe historical and current directions in social research, debating crucial subjects such as qualitative versus quantitative paradigms, how to judge the credibility of types of research, and the increasingly topical issue of research ethics. The Handbook serves as an invaluable resource for approaching research with an open mind. This volume maps the field of social research methods using an approach that will prove valuable for both students and researchers.
The A-Z is a collection of entries ranging from qualitative research techniques to statistical testing and the practicalities of using the Internet as a research tool. Alphabetically arranged in accessible, reader-friendly formats, the shortest entries are 800 words long and the longest are 3000. Most entries are approximately 1500 words in length and are supported by suggestions for further reading.
Communication research is evolving and changing in a world of online journals, open-access, and new ways of obtaining data and conducting experiments via the Internet. Although there are generic encyclopedias describing basic social science research methodologies in general, until now there has been no comprehensive A-to-Z reference work exploring methods specific to communication and media studies. Our entries, authored by key figures in the field, focus on special considerations when applied specifically to communication research, accompanied by engaging examples from the literature of communication, journalism, and media studies. Entries cover every step of the research process, from the creative development of research topics and questions to literature reviews, selection of best methods (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) for analyzing research results and publishing research findings, whether in traditional media or via new media outlets. In addition to expected entries covering the basics of theories and methods traditionally used in communication research, other entries discuss important trends influencing the future of that research, including contemporary practical issues students will face in communication professions, the influences of globalization on research, use of new recording technologies in fieldwork, and the challenges and opportunities related to studying online multi-media environments. Email, texting, cellphone video, and blogging are shown not only as topics of research but also as means of collecting and analyzing data. Still other entries delve into considerations of accountability, copyright, confidentiality, data ownership and security, privacy, and other aspects of conducting an ethical research program. Features: 652 signed entries are contained in an authoritative work spanning four volumes available in choice of electronic or print formats. Although organized A-to-Z, front matter includes a Reader’s Guide grouping entries thematically to help students interested in a specific aspect of communication research to more easily locate directly related entries. Back matter includes a Chronology of the development of the field of communication research; a Resource Guide to classic books, journals, and associations; a Glossary introducing the terminology of the field; and a detailed Index. Entries conclude with References/Further Readings and Cross-References to related entries to guide students further in their research journeys. The Index, Reader’s Guide themes, and Cross-References combine to provide robust search-and-browse in the e-version.
There is an increasing divergence of focus group practice between social researchers and commercial market researchers. This book addresses the key issues and practical requirements of the social researcher, namely: the kinds of social research issues for which focus groups are most and least suitable; optimum group size and composition; and the designing of focusing exercises, facilitation and appropriate analysis. The authors use examples, drawn from their own focus groups research experience, and provide exercises for further study. They address the three main components of composition, conduct and analysis in focus group research and also acknowledge the increasing impact the Internet has had on social research by cover
