New book on social science research methodology

Research is the systematic process of planning, investigating and understanding a phenomenon in order to find answers to specific questions. This book describes and explains the essential foundations of the research

process in social sciences. It is guided by the notion that there is no such thing than one

general ‘best’ method, but that the choice of method depends upon the research problem and the purpose of the research.

The book provides an overview of the way in which knowledge is acquired and employed in the social sciences. We believe that it is important to place the research and degree courses associated with the social sciences in the general academic context, so that the reader of the book becomes familiar with the ways in which the academic process occurs. This is why we introduce in the book a set of academic concepts – such as paradigms,

induction and deduction – since these concepts are central to the ability to work scientifically, regardless of whether we are a first-year student, writing a master thesis or about to embark on a PhD. The level is not, of course, the same, but the demand for thoroughness, openness and for the conscious employment of methodology is the same whether we are students or professors.

Aside from being an introduction to the academic working process, the book is also a

practical tool for students, who are themselves working with projects. We provide a set of instructions as to how to set up a frame of reference, i.e. the theoretical and ethodological framework for the project, and we give a brief introduction both to quantitative and to qualitative methods. We focus on the essential features of the various methods, which allow students to be in a position to consider their suitability for answering a specific research question.

Key features of the book:

To set the stage from a philosophy of science perspective that emphasizes the need to

choose the appropriate frame of reference for a given research problem

To describe the mindset which is necessary to work in a scientific way – regardless of

whether you are a first year student or writing a Ph.D. 

To explain the importance of theories, models and methods for a systematic approach

to literature reviews, use of secondary data, and empirical investigations

To introduce the fundamental characteristics of qualitative and quantitative methods

and their implications for data collection and analysis

To clarify the issues of verification and reflection in the evaluation of research studies