Interviewing for Social Scientists: An Introductory Resource with Examples

Students at postgraduate, and increasingly at undergraduate, level are required to undertake research projects and interviewing is the most frequently used research method. Interviewing for Social Scientists provides a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to interviewing. It covers all the issues that arise in interview work: theories of interviewing; design; application; and interpretation. Richly illustrated with relevant examples, each chapter includes handy statements of "advantages" and "disadvantages" of the approaches discussed.

Hilary Arksey worked in SPRU for many years, building up a reputation in research into informal care and carers needs. She led on this work in the Unit. It took her to many interesting places around the world where her experience and knowledge in this field helped to spread good practice and research collaborations. She retired from SPRU in 2010.
Social Policy Research Interests

    Informal care
    Carers, disability and employment
    Qualitative research methods



Dr. Peter T. Knight has worked. in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University, UK, since 1990. He was previously the Head of the Department of History at St. Martin′s College of Higher Education, Lancaster, UK.