With its clear presentation and integration of detailed real-world examples, this acclaimed core textbook accessibly illustrates the relevance of social sciences research without sacrificing key content.

Part I FOUNDATIONS OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH.- 1 The Scientific Approach.- 2 Conceptual Foundations of Research.- 3 Elements of Research.- 4 Ethics in Social Science Research.- Part II DESIGN AND STRUCTURE OF RESEARCH.- 5 Research Designs: Experiments.- 6 Research Designs: Cross-Sectional and Quasi-Experimental Designs.- 7 Measurement.- 8 Sampling and Sample Designs.- Part III DATA COLLECTION.- 9 Observational Methods.- 10 Survey Research.- 11 Questionnaire Construction.- 12 Qualitative Research.- 13 Secondary Data Analysis and Sources.- Part IV DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS.- 14 Data Preparation and Analysis.- 15 The Univariate Distribution.- 16 Bivariate Analysis.- 17 Control, Elaboration, and Multivariate Analysis.- 18 Index Construction and Scaling Methods.- 19 Inferences.- Appendices.- A Writing Research Reports.- B ?: The Summation Sign.- C Random Digits.- D Areas under the Normal Curve.- E Distribution of t.- F Critical Values of F.- G Distribution of c 2.- Glossary.- Author Index.- Subject Index.

Filled with clear and engaging real-life examples Expanded coverage of conducting qualitative research Expanded coverage of conducting research in our digital age New_to_this_edition New end-of-chapter exercises on Reading and Writing Research Reports which assist students in applying chapter concepts to the actual practice of social sciences research New Part Openers providing a brief preview of the concepts covered in each of the major sections Expanded Study Questions at the end of each chapter encouraging students to test their comprehension of chapter concepts