Research confidential : solutions to problems most social scientists pretend they never have / Eszter Hargittai, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hargittai, Eszter, 1973-

Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social sciences--Research.

Social sciences.

Social sciences--Fieldwork.

Social scientists--Attitudes.

Social scientists.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 300 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c2009.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

"We all know that the actual process of empirical research is a messy, complicated business that at best only approximates the models we impart to students. Research Confidential pulls back the curtain on this process, laying bare the sordid details of the research process, but doing so in a way that respects the ideals of social research and that provides useful lessons for young scholars. It should be required reading for our research methods courses." ---Michael X. Delli Carpini, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania "In this impressive volume, some of the brightest young lights in social research have taken us backstage to share what they learned from their innovative projects. Besides providing a wealth of help with methodological concerns, the book includes theoretical and career issues to consider when doing research. Anyone doing research should benefit from reading it." ---Caroline Hodges Persell, Professor of Sociology, New York University " Research Confidential complements existing methods literature by providing refreshingly honest accounts of key challenges and decision forks-in-the-research-road. Each chapter enlightens and entertains." ---Kirsten Foot, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Washington "A must-read for researchers embarking on new projects. Rather than the abstract descriptions of most methods textbooks, this volume provides rich accounts of the firsthand experiences of actual researchers. An invaluable resource of practical advice. Critically, it will make new researchers aware of the actual challenges that they are likely to face in their work." ---Christopher Winship, editor of Sociological Methods and Research and Professor of Sociology, Harvard University This collection of essays aims to fill a notable gap in the existing literature on research methods in the social sciences. While the methods literature is extensive, rarely do authors discuss the practical issues and challenges they routinely confront in the course of their research projects. As a result, editor Eszter Hargittai argues, each new cohort is forced to reinvent the wheel, making mistakes that previous generations have already confronted and resolved. Research Confidential seeks to address this failing by supplying new researchers with the kind of detailed practical information that can make or break a given project. Written in an informal, accessible, and engaging manner by a group of prominent young scholars, many of whom are involved in groundbreaking research in online contexts, this collection promises to be a valuable tool for graduate students and educators across the social sciences. Eszter Hargittai is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University and Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Cover art courtesy of Dustin Gerard

Contents:

Introduction 1

Doing Empirical Social Science Research / Eszter Hargittai Hargittai, Eszter

Spit, Sweat, and Tears 8

Gathering Biological Data in Naturalistic Settings / Emma K. Adam Adam, Emma K., Leah D. Doane Doane, Leah D., Kathryn Mendelsohn Mendelsohn, Kathryn

Field Experiments for Studies of Discrimination / Devah Pager Pager, Devah 38

Part of the Community / Laura Clawson Clawson, Laura 61

The Challenges of In-Depth Interviewing with Disadvantaged Respondents / Joan Walling Walling, Joan 78

Online Survey 101

Instant Publication, Instant Mistake, All of the Above / Gina Walejko Walejko, Gina

Herding Cats Online 122

Real Studies of Virtual Communities / Dmitri Williams Williams, Dmitri, Li Xiong Xiong, Li

How Technical Is Technology Research? 141

Acquiring and Deploying Technical Knowledge in Social Research Projects / Christian Sandvig Sandvig, Christian

On Unexpected Events 164

Navigating the Sudden Research Opportunity of 9/11 / Karen Albright Albright, Karen

Wat R U Doin? 192

Studying the Thumb Generation Using Text Messaging / Eszter Hargittai Hargittai, Eszter, Chris Karr Karr, Chris

Giving Mega Attention to Macro Research 217

The Rewards and Challenges of Quantitative Cross-National Data Collection and Analysis / Nina Bandelj Bandelj, Nina

Secondary Analysis of Large Social Surveys / Jeremy Freese Freese, Jeremy 238

Doing Archival Research 262

How to Find a Needle in a Haystack / Jason Gallo Gallo, Jason.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

ISBN:

9780472070268

0472070266

9780472050260

0472050265

Publisher Number:

10.3998/mpub.268873

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.