"If a student researcher had only one handbook on their bookshelf, Miller and Salkind′s Handbook would certainly have to be it. With the updated material, the addition of the section on ethical issues (which is so well done that I′m recommending it to the departmental representative to the university IRB), and a new Part 4 on "Qualitative Methods", the new Handbook is an indispensable resource for researchers."
--Dan Cover, Department of Sociology, Furman University
" I have observed that most instructors want to teach methodology "their way" to imbue the course with their own approach; Miller-Salkind allows one to do this easily. The book is both conceptually strong (e.g., very good coverage of epistemology, research design and statistics) and at the same time provides a wealth of practical knowledge (scales, indices, professional organizations, computer applications, etc.) In addition, it covers the waterfront of methodology."
--Michael L. Vasu, Director of Information Technology, North Carolina State University
"A unique and excellent reference tool for all social science researchers, and a good textbook for graduate students and senior year undergraduate classes. These students are about to enter the real life of research, and need a handy and comprehensive tool as a starting point that offers shortcuts for getting into real research projects. For a small project, the book offers enough information to get the project started. For big projects, the book is ideal for information on where to look for things and examples."
--Jianhong Liu, Department of Sociology, Rhode Island College
The book considered a "necessity" by many social science researchers and their students has been revised and updated while retaining the features that made it so useful. The emphasis in this new edition is on the tools graduate students and more advanced researchers need to conduct high quality research.
Features/Benefits:
- Provides step-by-step instruction for students′ research training by beginning with how to find a creative idea, a middle-range theory, and initial hypothesis and proceeds through design, proposal, collection and analysis of data followed by writing, reporting and publication
- Section on scales and indices are organized so that readers can quickly locate and find the type of scale or index in which they may be interested
- All sections are now followed by useful and well-considered reference sections so that readers can read more about each topic
- Includes updated coverage on new scales, internal and external validity, and new analytic techniques with extensive references on each
- Presents extensive coverage of how to prepare manuscripts for publication, including a list of all journals covered by Sociological Abstracts along with the editorial office address and URL for each entry
- Discusses the importance of policy research with presentation and discussion of specific models as an adjunct to both applied and basic research techniques
- Provides extensive coverage of funding opportunities including those offered by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and a directory of private funding sources including relevant contact information
New to this edition:
- New Part 4 by John Creswell and Ray Maietta provides a comprehensive introduction to qualitative methods including a review of existing computer applications for collecting and analyzing data
- New and more current reviews and commentaries have replaced dated or no longer relevant excerpts
- Thousands of new references on the assessment of important sociological variables as well as references to such topics as statistical analysis, computer applications, and specific topics
- Thoroughly updated information on the use of computers and online research techniques, including beginning and intermediate material about the Internet and its use by the modern research scientist
- Coherent and thoughtful review of the most popular statistical analysis software packages
- New guidelines and discussion of ethical practices in social and behavioral science research, including extensive coverage of institutional review board procedures and activities
- Expansion of social indicators to include international coverage
Plus, there is an extensive and well-organized table of contents with four levels of headings; and, for the first time in the history of the book, a comprehensive index.
1913-1998: Professor emeritus of sociology and business administration at Indiana University
Neil J. Salkind received his PhD in human development from the University of Maryland, and after teaching for 35 years at the University of Kansas, he was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Research in Education, where he collaborated with colleagues and work with students. His early interests were in the area of children’s cognitive development, and after research in the areas of cognitive style and (what was then known as) hyperactivity, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina’s Bush Center for Child and Family Policy. His work then changed direction to focus on child and family policy, specifically the impact of alternative forms of public support on various child and family outcomes. He delivered more than 150 professional papers and presentations; written more than 100 trade and textbooks; and is the author of Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics (SAGE), Theories of Human Development (SAGE), and Exploring Research (Prentice Hall). He has edited several encyclopedias, including the Encyclopedia of Human Development, the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, and the Encyclopedia of Research Design. He was editor of Child Development Abstracts and Bibliography for 13 years. He lived in Lawrence, Kansas, where he liked to read, swim with the River City Sharks, work as the proprietor and sole employee of big boy press, bake brownies (see www.statisticsforpeople.com for the recipe), and poke around old Volvos and old houses.
