The Practice of Social Research

Known as the gold standard for research methods, Babbie's THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH gives you a definitive guide to research as practiced by social scientists.

Combining a straightforward approach with the author's renowned sense of humor, this student-friendly text equips you with the tools and knowledge to apply research concepts as both researcher and consumer. The author emphasizes the process by showing you how to design and construct projects, introducing today's various observation modes and answering critical questions about research methods, such as how to conduct online surveys and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data.

The 15th Edition includes the latest General Social Survey findings along with new coverage of the global use of social research, the emerging role of big data, demographic analysis and more. Also available: MindTap digital learning solution.

• Highlighting real-world applications from the start, overviews at the beginning of each chapter explain the objectives and how the material covered fits into the overall scheme of social research.
• A section at the end of each chapter emphasizes research ethics, introducing students to the sensitivities around social research.
• As they progress through the text, students prepare different sections of a proposal in each chapter while applying specific chapter concepts.
The exercises culminate in Chapter 17, when students review the reading and writing aspects of the work, including literature reviews, internet research, and the organization and writing of the report.
• "Research in Real Life" boxes provide examples of how the principles in the chapters have been applied in actual studies, while "Tips and Tools" boxes give practical advice for formulating and carrying out research projects. Topics include identifying the unit of analysis, reading and evaluating documents, establishing rapport and much more.
• Numerous real-world and hypothetical examples, myriad figures and tables, sample research tools and the author's renowned sense of humor and compassion combine to make THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH the most accessible, student-friendly text on social research methods available.
• Helping students maximize their study time and course success, end-of-chapter study aids include point-by-point chapter summaries, a list of key terms, review questions and exercises, and research proposal exercises. In addition, a running glossary with in-chapter definitions simplifies chapter reviews and exam preparation.

About the Author

Dr. Earl Babbie is the Campbell Professor Emeritus in Behavioral Sciences at Chapman University in Southern California. He taught sociology at the University of Hawaii from 1968 through 1979 and took time off from teaching and research to write full time for eight years. He then joined the Chapman University faculty in 1987. Credited with defining research methods for the social sciences, Dr. Babbie has written several texts, including THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH, as well as numerous research articles and monographs. For 25 years he has been active in the American Sociological Association, where he served on the executive committee. He is also a past president of the Pacific Sociological Association and the California Sociological Association. Dr. Babbie received his A.B. from Harvard and his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.