The Practice of Social Research (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

by Earl R. Babbie

This thorough revision of Babbie's standard-setting book for the course offers students a comprehensive, straightforward introduction to the field of research methods as practiced by sociologists and other social scientists. Emphasizing the importance of the research process, the book shows students how social scientists design research studies, introduces the variety of observation modes used by sociologists, and covers the "how-tos" and "whys" of social research methods. Students learn how to conduct various types of research, when it is appropriate to use each method, and how to analyze qualitative and quantitative data using the Elaboration Model. The 10th edition provides students with the necessary tools for understanding social research methods and for applying these concepts both inside and outside the classroom--as researchers and as consumers of research. Retaining the authoritative coverage of the research process that has made the book a best-seller, the new edition is more student-friendly than ever. The new edition features a completely new chapter on reading and writing social research, a streamlined organization, a new running glossary, and a new Research Writing and Chapter Tutorial CD-ROM that not only helps students every step of the way in writing research papers, but also links to chapter by chapter online tutorials that will help them master the concepts and techniques of the course.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Research, Research Methods, Academic, Science

493 pages, Hardcover

Published March 6, 2003

Reviews

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Przeczytanie tego wyssało ze mnie wszystkie siły witalne

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

باید خدمتتون عارض شم که هلو برو تو گلوتر از این من نخونده بودم.
هزار صفحه تو سه روز جمع شد

[kata *ੈ✩‧₊˚]

logging my uni textbooks to show that i have actually been reading stuff since september 3

and also it was really interesting

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a textbook this was pretty accessible and was written in a friendly way. Apparently newer editions exist but I kind of loved this one. It explained the World Wide Web to me.

[Laura VanZant]

If I had to read this whole thing for class, I’m at least recording it on Goodreads

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you do any kind of quantitative or qualitative research at all, GET THIS BOOK! Babbie is one of the great teachers. He infuses humor into very clear writing to make anybody a researcher. A masterpiece. I have taken two graduate research courses about 12 years apart and Babbie was the textbook for both. Thanks, Earl!

[Marla Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Research Methods Summer 2011

[Waris Ahmad Faizi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive!

The Practice of Social Research by Earl R. Babbie is a widely-used and comprehensive read on the principles and methods of social research. It serves as a practical guide for researchers in the social sciences who are interested in conducting meaningful and rigorous research.

The book covers various aspects of the research process, from formulating research questions and hypotheses to designing research methods, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting findings. Babbie emphasizes the importance of understanding the philosophical and ethical foundations of social research, as well as the practical techniques and tools used in conducting research.

Key topics covered in the book include:

Research design and planning: Babbie discusses the various research designs available to social researchers, such as surveys, experiments, field research, and content analysis. He also explores the importance of theory and literature review in shaping research questions.
Data collection: The book provides detailed information on various data collection techniques, including surveys, interviews, observations, and secondary data sources. It highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Data analysis: Babbie introduces readers to basic statistical techniques used in social research, emphasizing the importance of data interpretation and drawing meaningful conclusions from data.
Ethical considerations: Throughout the book, the author underscores the ethical responsibilities of researchers, including issues related to informed consent, privacy, and the responsible use of research findings.
Writing and reporting: Babbie discusses how to effectively communicate research results, including the structure and content of research reports, as well as the use of APA style for citations and references.
Overall, the Practice of Social Research" is known for its accessibility, real-world examples, and practical guidance, making it a valuable resource for researchers aiming to conduct high-quality social research.

[K]

《社会学研究方法》~~~~「当然，这些能力的培养，与理论积累和阅读经历有很大关系，矫枉也不必过正。但在社会学中，阅读绝不是起先导作用的，也绝不会是最终的目的。没有任何一本书是社会学入门非读不可的，而知乎上没有人提到的某本书，则有可能是你所决不能绕开的书，有可能成为你理解这个学科至关重要的那本书。另外，比之阅读以《社会学概论》为题的书，或许阅读《社会学研究方法》会更实用。前面说，社会学是高度分散的学科，但其方法却是相对统一的。学好方法未必能成为好的社会学人，但没学好方法是必然不能的。」

[Samuel Ernst · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell the author tried very hard to make a boring subject like research sound interesting by providing lighthearted examples and funny anecdotes. In some cases it succeeded, but it's still a textbook about research.

[Charlie Boddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

had to read this for school
bored me to tears
i hate u earl babbie

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

....meh.

[Kim]

Actually read 14th Ed.

[Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book frustrated me but only because the class with it should have required statistics before taking it. However, it's thorough.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many textbooks have made me LOL, but this author has a sense of humor.

[Raluuuuuu]

not that bad!! at least it was funny at times

[Marcus Goncalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very through book on social research. I’ve been evaluating several books; the author dies an excellent job presenting the topic, with humor at times.

[Kurtzprzezce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podręcznik napisany w stylu for dummies. Z jednej stronie fajnie jest ubarwiać podręczniki anegdotami, przykładami itd., ale po książce Babbiego znamy na koniec więcej historyjek niż metod badawczych. Jeżeli ktoś ma już jakiekolwiek pojęcie o badaniach będzie omijał obszerne fragmenty poświęcone rzeczom najbardziej elementarnym. Mimo sporej objętości trudno na podstawie tej książki uzyskać coś więcej niż wiedzę zajawkową. Rozmaitym ciekawostkom i dość prostym do samodzielnego rozszyfrowania niuansom poświęcono wiele czasu, a tymczasem z kilkuset stronicowego podręcznika nie dowiadujemy się nawet czym jest ANOVA. Uproszczenia idą zdecydowanie zbyt daleko, przez co wcale nie rozumiemy po lekturze logiki niektórych metod, testów itd. Np. przy obliczaniu poziomu ufności podano uproszczony wzór mający zastosowanie tylko w rozkładzie, w którym wartości przybierają 0 lub 1. Nie obyło się bez kilku błędów w sztuce. W przykładach pokazujących jak należy badać znalazły się wątpliwe praktyki ocierające się o m. in. "texas sharpshooter fallacy". Wbrew deklaracjom, autor nie uczy na pewno zachowywania poziomu rygoru, którym moim zdaniem jest niezbędny, żeby robić dobre i obiektywne badania. Widać też w podręczniku silne skrzywienie ideologiczne w stronę liberalną (w amerykańskim znaczeniu tego słowa) oraz konstruktywistyczną (typowe dla socjologów). Bardzo początkujący socjologowie mogą poczytać, ale źle skończą ograniczając się do samego Babbiego.

[Inggita · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was just relieved that i passed mr. hwang's research class which require this - i had an older version (1986) - if you are in love with statistics and want to make sure you're on track with the regression analysis, this is for you. But this is back in the days where communication is largely under the shadows of quantitative, behavioralist field of sociology - not any more, it doesn't help much in really understanding why one TV broadcast matter more to one community than the other - not to mention viewing habits, family upbringing etc. human mind is complex and cannot always be explained using statistics - unless the subject requires MRI scans reading! in other words, feminism kicks in and now researchers are undaunted with the "subjectivism" factor - it's the days of the "seeing with". sorry, mr hwang, it was really cold back then in february and my brain froze, with statistic terror...

[Patrice Sartor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The semester is nearly over, and so is me having to read any more of this book. There are some subject matters that I am not going to find interesting no matter how well they are written, so I do appreciate the many real-life examples the author used to illustrate his points. At the same time, the author fancied himself a comedian, and often his attempts at humor just fell flat. I fell asleep MANY times trying to get through a chapter, happy to be done, but I did indeed learn quite a bit. Will I remember all that I learned? Ha!

[Arda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to finish the entirety of this book in 24 hours. 600+ pages of quantitative analysis is no joking matter, and struggling with statistics gets one confronted with that thin line of brilliance vs. madness. It is not easy to be taught this stuff, and sometimes having no professor is better than having one who makes it all worse. Ah, the horror. But that's what's beautiful about this book: Babbie makes it all better. There's humor in the book, and it is written in a simple, fun way that every so often (on rare occasions) I found myself even enjoying it a little.

[Brook]

Again, a necessary book to have if you carry out or plan to carry out any kind of social research. This will give you a good foundation on how it is done and ethics of such undertakings, it is pretty thorough but at times quite technical in some spots. I believe this book warrants deeper reading after completing to get a more strong understanding of research. A must have for health professionals and anyone else wanting to collect data and research outcomes in people.

[Dr. Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent primer on social scientific research. I appreciate the conversational tone and breakdown of categories, research types, etc. I'd like to see equal space devoted to qualitative paradigms in chapters 1-5. On the latter, see Bryman 2008 (http://books.google.com/books/about/S...). Even so, I like the tone of this book.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read it for MA entrance exam.I usually don't enjoy this kind of books, I mean books on research methods, statistics and the like.They're kind of boring.

[Dr. Kat]

required textbook

[zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had to read it but i enjoyed it a lot.
it is so sweet, so clear and so useful for all students who study human science.

[Ali shaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

yah i've read this book with simple chapters and intersting issue!

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretending to read this one....

[Becky]

textbook for LI810, Research class

[A]

This was my first book on research issue (at all).
a "must read" for beginners on the topic.