Introduction
Use this guide to explore resources and materials that are available through the Pace Library for research in Sociology and related topics. This guide includes information o exploring the library catalog, subject specific databases and more.
Explore related research guides:
Getting Started with Research: Picking a Topic
What's your main idea? What other ideas, concepts, or arguments relate to that idea? Breaking down your topic can help you narrow it down, and help you with specific keywords and search terms.
Use the "spider web" map below to brainstorm your topic.
"Mapping Your Research Ideas" by UCLA Libraries:
Subject Headings, Keywords, & using AND/OR/NOT
Subject Terms and/or Headings are terms that are used to describe the content of an item. Searching by subject will bring you materials that are explicitly about that topic. You can use subject terms to view items that have also been "tagged" as being about a particular topic. Keep in mind, that subject terms and/or headings are pre-selected. When you're starting your research try using both broad and specific terms - this will help you discover different subjects that you can also search by.
A Keyword Search will search for any time a word or phrase is mentioned in the description and/or record of an item. Starting your research with a keyword search can help you find more relevant subject terms, which can help you narrow (or expand) your search results.
Using AND, OR, or NOT to combine your search terms, search for similar terms, or exclude terms can help you discover more relevant information on your topic:
Use "AND" to combine terms:
(women AND computer science)
Use "OR" to use similar terms:
(woman OR women)
Use "NOT" to use exclude terms:
(computer science NOT software)
AND and NOT will tend to narrow your results; OR will expand them.
Research Methods for Sociology
Qualitative Interviewing
Qualitative interviewing has today become one of the most common research methods across the human and social sciences, but it is an approach that comes in different guises. Qualitative Interviewing will help its readers write, represent, understand, and critique qualitative interview researchin its many forms as currently practiced.The book begins with a theoretically informed introduction to qualitative interviewing by presenting a variegated landscape of how conversations have been used for knowledge-producing purposes. Particular attention is paid to the complementary positions of experience-focused interviewing(phenomenological positions) and language-focused interviewing (discourse-oriented positions), which focus on interview talk as reports (of the experiences of interviewees) and accounts (occasioned by the situation of interviewing), respectively. The following chapters address various ways ofdesigning qualitative interview studies and a guide to writing up the methodological procedures and results of an interview study. The book concludes with a presentation of the most common errors in interview reports, offering a range of solutions and strategies for evaluating research findingsbased on qualitative interviews.
Qualitative Research Methods
Qualitative Research Methods is a comprehensive, all-inclusive resource for the theory and practice of qualitative/ethnographic research methodology. Serves as a "how-to" guide for qualitative/ethnographic research, detailing how to design a project, conduct interviews and focus groups, interpret and analyze data, and represent it in a compelling manner Demonstrates how qualitative data can be systematically utilized to address pressing personal, organizational, and social problems Written in an engaging style, with in-depth examples from the author's own practice Comprehensive companion website includes sample syllabi, lesson plans, a list of helpful website links, test bank and exam review materials, and exercises and worksheets, available upon publication at www.wiley.com/go/tracy
EBOOK: Social Research
This fully revised and updated popular text successfully bridges the gap between theory and methods in social research, clearly illuminating these essential components for understanding the dynamics of social relations. The book is divided into two parts, with part one examining the issues and perspectives in social research and part two setting out the methods and processes. Updates to this edition include: A new chapter on case study research A new concluding chapter Links to additional websites and IT applications that are integrated throughout the book Updated experiential examples and scenarios More international examples The clear writing style, chapter summaries, questions for reflection and signposts to further readings continue to make this book the ideal companion to social research for students across the social sciences. In addition, it will be recognised as an invaluable source of reference for those practising and teaching social research who wish to keep abreast of key developments in the field. With contributions from Beth Perry (University of Salford) and Carole Sutton (University of Plymouth).