Revised edition of Real world research, 2011.

Includes bibliographical references

Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Ways of using the book -- The main steps when carrying out a project -- Setting the scene -- Introduction -- Approaches to social research -- Planning : selecting a strategy -- Developing your ideas -- General design issues -- Desk-based research -- Fixed designs -- Flexible designs -- Multi-strategy (mixed methods) designs -- Designs for particular purposes: evaluation, action and change -- Ethical and political considerations -- Tactics : the methods of data collection -- Surveys and questionnaires -- Interviews and focus groups -- Tests and scales -- Observational methods -- Additional methods of data collection -- Writing a project proposal -- Carrying out the project -- Dealing with the data -- The analysis and interpretation of quantitative data -- The analysis and interpretation of qualitative data -- Reporting, disseminating and moving forward -- Appendix A: Using specialist software for quantitative analysis -- Appendix B: Using specialist software for qualitative analysis -- Glossary -- References and author index -- Subject index.