Synopsis
This collection brings together key articles and book chapters that provide an overview of research design for the social sciences, focusing on the purpose, nature, and types of research design - the architecture of research rather than the mechanics of running a research project. Emphasis is put on non-laboratory-based research designs that are typically encountered in the social sciences, those involving people rather than objects. The range of issues covered is impressive: the epististemology of social research design; the complex matters of causation and the logic of design; the importance of units of analsyis; the subjective elements of human behaviour and the role of qualitative and quantitative data.
This range of topics is the strength of this four-volume collection. It offers insight into the central concepts, strengths, and weaknesses of various designs and threats to validity of research, and also provides the key readings outlining a wide range of research designs used across the social sciences.
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About the Author
David De Vaus is Associate Professor of Sociology at La Trobe University, Melbourne. He is the author of Surveys in Social Research and Research Design in Social Research. He is an international authority in the field of social research.
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