The Practice of Research: How Social Scientists Answer Their Questions

by Shamus Rahman Khan, Dana R. Fisher

This unique reader for research methods courses looks at how social scientists ask and answer questions. The Practice of Research presents a practical guide to doing research by excerpting well-known studies by some of the most distinguished social science researchers in the field today. The excerpts represent nine methodological approaches and are accompanied by reflections where authors reveal how they resolved some of the challenges that face almost all research projects.

Contributors

* Jessica Brown, University of Houston
* Shelley Correll, Stanford University
* Eszter Hargittai, Northwestern University
* Michael T. Heaney, University of Michigan
* Steven Hitlin, University of Iowa ; J. Scott Brown, Miami University ; and Glen H. Elder, Jr., University of North Carolina
* Ziad Munson, Lehigh University
* Mario Luis Small, University of Chicago

The personal reflections written by authors of each excerpted paper were prepared specifically for this volume. Focusing on the experience of actually doing research, The Practice of Research illustrates methods in action. This volume lets students not just read exemplary papers, but also gives students access to these authors as they personally narrate their practical solutions to common research challenges.

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

I teach in the sociology department at Columbia University. My work is on inequality. But instead of looking at the poor -- as most scholars do -- I study the rich. This is because over the last 40 years the rich have largely driven the increases in inequality.

My first book, Privilege, is a study of St. Paul's School, one of the most elite boarding schools in United States. I studied St. Paul's to better understand how social advantages are produced. The question I'm most interested in is how social institutions have opened their doors to those they previously excluded (nonwhites, women, etc.), and yet as they have become more inclusive, our nation has become much more unequal. "

Reviews

[Kamila · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great book for every young researcher who is about to start their study. It's more than a handbook: it's a guide in which you can find relevant information on various research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Each chapter concerns a different method, and it consists of a general introduction, some questions to consider, and an excerpt from an article followed by a comment of its author (in which they argue why they have chosen a particular approach). This is a useful starting point, but at the same time, it can serve as a reference point once you've started your research.