The practice of social research / Earl Babbie.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

This is a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to the field of research as practiced by social scientists. This best-selling book emphasizes the research process by demonstrating how to design research studies, introducing the various observation modes in use today, and answering questions about research methods--such as how to conduct online surveys, and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. The practice of social research provides all the tools researchers and consumers need to apply social research.

Pt. 1, Introduction to inquiry. Human inquiry and science ; Paradigms, theory, and social research ; The ethics and politics of social research -- Pt. 2, The structuring of inquiry : quantitative and qualitative. Research design ; Conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement ; Indexes, scales, and typologies ; The logic of sampling -- Pt. 3, Modes of operation : quantitative and qualitative. Experiments ; Survey research ; Qualitative field research ; Unobtrusive research ; Evaluation research -- Pt. 4, Analysis of data : quantitative and qualitative. Qualitative data analysis ; Quantitative data analysis ; The elaboration model ; Statistical analyses ; Reading and writing social research -- Appendixes. Using the library ; GSS household enumeration questionnaire ; Random numbers ; Distribution of chi square ; Normal curve areas ; Estimated sampling error ; Twenty questions a jounalist should ask about poll results.