This Understanding Social Research series is designed to help students to
understand how social research is carried out and to appreciate a variety of
issues in social research methodology. It is designed to address the needs of
students taking degree programmes in areas such as sociology, social policy,
psychology, communication studies, cultural studies, human geography,
political science, criminology and organization studies and who are
required to take modules in social research methods. It is also designed to
meet the needs of students who need to carry out a research project as part
of their degree requirements. Postgraduate research students and novice
researchers will find the books equally helpful.
The series is concerned to help readers to ‘understand’ social research
methods and issues. This means developing an appreciation of the pleasures
and frustrations of social research, an understanding of how to implement
certain techniques, and an awareness of key areas of debate. The relative
emphasis on these different features varies from book to book, but in each
one the aim is to see the method or issue from the position of a practising
researcher and not simply to present a manual of ‘how to’ steps. In the
process, the series contains coverage of the major methods of social
research and addresses a variety of issues and debates. Each book in the
series is written by a practising researcher who has experience of the technique or debates that he or she is addressing. Authors are encouraged to
draw on their own experiences and inside knowledge.