Doing Social Research

Doing Social Research is an easy-to-understand guidebook that gives an introduction to the social work research process. Written in a clear, straightforward style, this book presents the various topics of social research in the outline form of all sociological research articles: starting with an introduction to the problem being researched, why the problem was chosen, and the theoretical premises of the chosen topic, then progressing to the methods utilized to collect the data, the analysis of the data, and the presentation of the material. By following the research outline, the book provides a concise overview of the most important elements of social research, and synopses of thirteen classic studies introduce readers to the early pioneers of social research. Special features include student projects and abstracts of research studies. Student projects get students actually doing social research. End-of-chapter exercises cover the methods being discussed and give students experience in doing these methods on a small scale. Review questions deal directly and are answerable with the material in each chapter in the text, helping students focus and review. Abstracts of pioneering research studies, each with the five elements of the research outline, are keyed to the different kinds of research.