Becoming a social science researcher : quest and context / Bruce Parrott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Parrott, Bruce, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social sciences--Research--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Social sciences--Research.

Social sciences--Study and teaching.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (384 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan Press, 2023.

Summary:

Becoming a Social Science Researcher is designed to help aspiring social scientists, including credentialed scholars, understand the formidable complexities of the research process. Instead of explaining specific research techniques, it concentrates on the philosophical, sociological, and psychological dimensions of social research. These dimensions have received little coverage in guides written for social science researchers, but they are arguably even more important than particular analytical techniques. Truly sophisticated social science scholarship requires that researchers understand the intellectual and social contexts in which they collect and interpret information. While social science training in US graduate schools has become more systematic over the past two decades, graduate training and published guidance still fall short in addressing this fundamental need.

Contents:

Preview. Introduction : why you should read this book

Your quest in context. Perception and misperception in life and scholarship

Social science and history

Scholarship as social process and as politics

progress in the social sciences : real and imaginary

Dimensions in the social sciences

Your quest : weighing intellectual choices. Building professional relationships and preparing for your doctoral exams

Choosing research problems : personal values and disciplinary agendas

Concepts and concept formation

Theories, hypotheses, and research designs

Case studies and comparative methods

Logics of explanation

Your quest : from planning to finishing. Planning your project and writing a prospectus

Mapping research resources and gathering evidence

Producing a draft

Through the jungle : guiding your reader (and yourself)

Getting to go : defending and passing

Your choices and your futures.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-297) and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

Has Supplement:

Supplement (work): Parrott, Bruce, 1945- Becoming a social science researcher 1 online resource (96 pages)

Other Format:

Print version: Parrott, Bruce Becoming a Social Science Researcher

ISBN:

9780472221080

0472221086