3rd Edition
Do It Yourself Social Research The bestselling practical guide to doing social research projects
Over three decades this bestselling user-friendly introduction has been used by thousands of students, professionals and community groups to kick start their social research projects.
Always emphasising the importance of a spirit of inquiry, it demystifies the research process, covering all the basics of: where to start; how to manage a research project; methods, techniques and resources; digital tools; interpretation, analysis and reporting. This third edition has been thoroughly revised. It covers the use of narrative and dialogue in research, rich research design, and what digital technology can (and can't) contribute to the research process. With its hands-on, no-nonsense approach, Do It Yourself Social Research is an essential resource for anyone doing social research in sociology, social work, education, health, welfare, not-for profit and many other fields.
'Practical in its content, sophisticated in its ideas, the book shows a passion for making social science a tool of democracy. I know of nothing else that is half as good.' - Raewyn Connell, University Professor, University of Sydney, Australia
'This is a first-rate text. Students had one problem with it; because it was not turgid like other texts they felt it lacked sufficient depth. It was only when they were into their research that they understood what a great reference it is.' - Richard A. Couto PhD, Union Institute and University, USA
Contents
Preface to the second and third editions
Acknowledgements
1 Who and what this book is for
2 What is social research?
3 Why do you want to do it?
4 Managing, timing, budgeting and some common mistakes to avoid
5 How to go about 'finding out'
Part A - Research Design
Part B - Methods for Finding Out
6 Other resources around
7 Interpretation and organising ideas
8 Getting your findings into action
Appendix A: Some examples of good do it yourself social research
Appendix B: Translations of common research language
Short bibliography of accessible research texts for further reading
Biography
Yoland Wadsworth is a path-breaker in methodology and use of social research in health, community and human services. She is Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT University, and Principal Fellow in the McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne. She is also author of Everyday Evaluation on the Run and Building in Research and Evaluation: Human inquiry for living systems.
