Doing Fieldwork

"This is not yet another step-by-step guide to research methods. Rather, Pole and Hillyard draw the reader into fieldwork as a form of living and lived research. They take key threads of research practices and processes and weave them into a holistic approach to fieldwork. Doing Fieldwork is a must read for new researchers planning a journey into the immersion of ′being there′ that is field work."
- Professor Garry Marvin, University of Roehampton

Fieldwork is central to Sociology, but guides to it often treat the real questions invisibly or over-load the reader with micro-details. This refreshing, authoritative volume, written by two experienced, highly respected fieldworkers, provides a one-stop, engaging guide. The book:

• Clearly explains fieldwork methods
• Shows how to locate a field and map it
• Covers common problem areas and ethical considerations
• Provides a ready reckoner of time management issues
• Helps with analysis of findings.

Doing Fieldwork is an invaluable teaching and research resource. It should be in every student’s backpack and part of every researcher’s tool kit.

Professor Chris Pole is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Brighton. His long-standing research interests are in social research methodology, especially Ethnography and in the Sociology of Education and Childhood.

Dr Sam Hillyard is a Reader in Sociology at Durham University. Her research interests are in qualitative research methods, interactionist social theory and rural studies. 

Chris Pole is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Brighton.

Sam Hillyard is a Reader in Sociology at Durham in the United Kingdom. She is the series editor of Studies in Qualitative Methodology (Emerald) and a member of the editorial board for the journal Qualitative Research. Her research interests lie with the synergies between theoretical ideas and empirical ethnographic research. This interest has been applied across a variety of research settings: Recent projects include game shooting in the UK and access to elite higher education. These interests are reflected in a series of funding awards from the ESRC, the Rural Economy and Land Use programme (ESRC, NERC, and BBSRC), and Natural Resources Wales. Her books include Doing Fieldwork with Professor Pole (2016) and Approaches to Fieldwork, a four-volume collection (2014).