Includes bibliographical references and index.

The art and science of social research : an introduction -- Research foundations : linking sociological theory to research -- Ethical issues in social science research -- From concepts to models : hypotheses, operationalization, and measurement -- Evaluating research : reliability and validity -- Sampling strategies -- Survey research -- Experimental research -- Evaluation research -- Ethnography -- In-depth interviewing -- Materials-based methods -- Univariate and bivariate analysis of quantitative data -- Communicating social science research findings -- Social network analysis -- Multivariate and advanced quantitative methods -- Analysis of qualitative data.

"Written by a team of renowned sociologists with experience in both the field and the classroom, The Art and Science of Social Research offers authoritative, accessible, and balanced coverage of the methods used to study the social world. The authors highlight the challenges of investigating the unpredictable topic of human lives while providing insights into what really happens in the field, the laboratory, and the survey call center. A streamlined Second Edition is now accompanied by three new InQuizitive activities and writing tutorials that help students master the building blocks of research and hone key writing skills"-- Provided by publisher.