Exploratory Research in the Social Sciences

Author: Robert A. Stebbins
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 9780761923992
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 84

Book Description
Robert Stebbins addresses an area of social science that receives scant attention: exploration as a methodological process. The author emphasises its importance then leads the reader through the process in a highly readable way.

Social Science Research

Author: Anol Bhattacherjee
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781475146127
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 156

Book Description
This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.

The Production of Knowledge

Author: Colin Elman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108486770
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 569

Book Description
A wide-ranging discussion of factors that impede the cumulation of knowledge in the social sciences, including problems of transparency, replication, and reliability. Rather than focusing on individual studies or methods, this book examines how collective institutions and practices have (often unintended) impacts on the production of knowledge.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods

Author: Michael Lewis-Beck
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 9780761923633
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 460

Book Description
Featuring over 900 entries, this resource covers all disciplines within the social sciences with both concise definitions & in-depth essays.

The SAGE Dictionary of Social Research Methods

Author: Victor Jupp
Publisher: Pine Forge Press
ISBN: 1446238563
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 619

Book Description
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.

The Impact of the Social Sciences

Author: Simon Bastow
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446293254
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 625

Book Description
The impact agenda is set to shape the way in which social scientists prioritise the work they choose to pursue, the research methods they use and how they publish their findings over the coming decade, but how much is currently known about how social science research has made a mark on society? Based on a three year research project studying the impact of 360 UK-based academics on business, government and civil society sectors, this groundbreaking new book undertakes the most thorough analysis yet of how academic research in the social sciences achieves public policy impacts, contributes to economic prosperity, and informs public understanding of policy issues as well as economic and social changes. The Impact of the Social Sciences addresses and engages with key issues, including: identifying ways to conceptualise and model impact in the social sciences developing more sophisticated ways to measure academic and external impacts of social science research explaining how impacts from individual academics, research units and universities can be improved. This book is essential reading for researchers, academics and anyone involved in discussions about how to improve the value and impact of funded research.

Exploratory Social Network Analysis with Pajek

Author: Wouter de Nooy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521841733
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
This is the first textbook on social network analysis integrating theory, applications, and professional software for performing network analysis. The book introduces the main concepts and their applications in social research with exercises. An application section explaining how to perform the network analyses with Pajek software follows each theoretical section.

An Applied Guide to Research Designs

Author: W. Alex Edmonds
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483317285
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311

Book Description
The Second Edition of An Applied Guide to Research Designs offers researchers in the social and behavioral sciences guidance for selecting the most appropriate research design to apply in their study. Using consistent terminology, the authors visually present a range of research designs used in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to help readers conceptualize, construct, test, and problem solve in their investigation. The Second Edition features revamped and expanded coverage of research designs, new real-world examples and references, a new chapter on action research, and updated ancillaries.

Theory-Based Data Analysis for the Social Sciences

Author: Carol S. Aneshensel
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1412994357
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 473

Book Description
This book presents the elaboration model for the multivariate analysis of observational quantitative data. This model entails the systematic introduction of "third variables" to the analysis of a focal relationship between one independent and one dependent variable to ascertain whether an inference of causality is justified. Two complementary strategies are used: an exclusionary strategy that rules out alternative explanations such as spuriousness and redundancy with competing theories, and an inclusive strategy that connects the focal relationship to a network of other relationships, including the hypothesized causal mechanisms linking the focal independent variable to the focal dependent variable. The primary emphasis is on the translation of theory into a logical analytic strategy and the interpretation of results. The elaboration model is applied with case studies drawn from newly published research that serve as prototypes for aligning theory and the data analytic plan used to test it; these studies are drawn from a wide range of substantive topics in the social sciences, such as emotion management in the workplace, subjective age identification during the transition to adulthood, and the relationship between religious and paranormal beliefs. The second application of the elaboration model is in the form of original data analysis presented in two Analysis Journals that are integrated throughout the text and implement the full elaboration model. Using real data, not contrived examples, the text provides a step-by-step guide through the process of integrating theory with data analysis in order to arrive at meaningful answers to research questions.

The Behavioral and Social Sciences

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309037492
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 301

Book Description
This volume explores the scientific frontiers and leading edges of research across the fields of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, history, business, education, geography, law, and psychiatry, as well as the newer, more specialized areas of artificial intelligence, child development, cognitive science, communications, demography, linguistics, and management and decision science. It includes recommendations concerning new resources, facilities, and programs that may be needed over the next several years to ensure rapid progress and provide a high level of returns to basic research.