Introducing Research Methodology

PART ONE: ORIENTATIONWhy Social Research?From Research Idea to Research QuestionReading and Reviewing the LiteraturePART TWO: PLANNING AND DESIGNPlanning Social Research: Steps of the Research ProcessDesigning Social ResearchDeciding Your MethodsPART THREE: WORKING WITH DATAGathering Data: Quantitative and Qualitative ApproachesAnalyzing Quantitative and Qualitative Data E-Research: Doing Social Research OnlineIntegrated Social Research: Combination of Different ApproachesPART FOUR: REFLECTION AND WRITINGWhat Is Good Research? Evaluating Your Research ProjectEthical Issues in Social ResearchWriting Research and Using Results

<p style="text-align: justify;">Uwe Flick is a trained psychologist and sociologist. He is Professor of Qualitative Research in Education at the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Previously, he was Professor of Qualitative Research in Political Sciences at the University in Vienna, Austria, and Professor of Qualitative Research in Social Work, Nursing and Gerontology at Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, Germany. Before that, he was Adjunct Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland at St. John's, Canada and has been a Lecturer at the Free University of Berlin in Research Methodology, a Reader and Assistant Professor at the Technical University of Berlin in Qualitative Methods and Evaluation; and Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Medical Sociology at the Hannover Medical School. He has held visiting appointments at the London School of Economics, the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, at Cambridge University (UK), Memorial University of St. John's (Canada), University of Lisbon (Portugal), Institute of Higher Studies in Vienna, in Italy and Sweden, and at the School of Psychology at Massey University, Auckland (NZ). His main research interests are qualitative methods, social representations in the fields of individual and public health, vulnerability in fields like youth homelessness or migration and technological change in everyday life. He is author Designing Qualitative Research (London: SAGE 2007) and Managing Quality in Qualitative Research (London: SAGE 2007) and editor of The SAGE Qualitative Research Kit (London: SAGE 2007), A Companion to Qualitative Research (London: SAGE 2004), Psychology of the Social (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), Quality of Life and Health: Concepts, Methods and Applications (Berlin: Blackwell Science, 1995), and La perception quotidienne de la Santé et la Maladie: Théories subjectives et Représentations sociales (Paris: L'Harmattan, 1993). As

This book provides an extremely useful guide to the basics of research, such as the fundamental characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research and their associated research questions. It is written in an accessible style without the complicated use of terms and details that often shroud research methods books. It is orientated toward the beginner who may not be familiar with the language of quantitative and qualitative research and who may be an undergraduate in the social sciences. It balances nicely attention to both quantitative and qualitative research, providing legitimacy for both approaches

John W CreswellUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln

What makes this guide special is the way in which it is structured and the style used for explanations and clarifications... The book enjoys the benefits of Flick's personal research experience, but also his personal experience in teaching research methodology and supervising students' research projects. The book is addressed to young researchers at the beginning of their career. It represents a clear overview of the main approaches used in social research. Even though research methodology specific to social sciences can be seen as overwhelming in the eyes of the beginners, this book manages to overcome this drawback and create positive orientation for readers to learn. It offers logical and clear guidance, revealing the route that any high quality research needs to follow.Sorana SaveanuJournal of Social Research and Policy

This book's main strengths are its range of topics and issues, firstly it brings the reader up to date with recent research methods such as e-research, online interviewing and virtual ethnography. Secondly, it is brief enough to understand the issues and challenges in research projects, but detailed enough to help one make key decisions. Thirdly, its use of real-life examples helps to contextualise issues in conducting research projects. Fourthly, there are many