This exciting new book brings together contributions from world-leading scholars as well as younger researchers and focuses on cutting-edge issues related to the practice of qualitative research in the field. It provides a forum for contributors to discuss the issues and processes which inform qualitative research in its various forms as based on fieldwork experiences.In achieving this in an accessible manner to both practicing students and researchers, it seeks to enable a dialogu...

What are the critical gaps in thinking about reflexivity and social research?How is reflexive practice shaped by the contexts and cultures in which researchers work?How might research practice respond to twin demands of excellence and relevance in the knowledge-based economy?Thinking reflexively about the inter-relationships between social research and societal practices is all the more important in the so-called knowledge economy.Developing reflexive practi...

Reflexivity – the critical examination of how we see the world – is integral to good research practice. From this state-of-the-art, accessible tour of its history and contemporary relevance, readers will learn of its importance to social research and to society generally. The text introduces a host of influential thinkers and their key ideas on reflexivity, and incorporates examples from a range of disciplines and research settings. Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience of real rese...

Cities and the Knowledge Economy is an in-depth, interdisciplinary, international and comparative examination of the relationship between knowledge and urban development in the contemporary era. Through the lenses of promise, politics and possibility, it examines how the knowledge economy has arisen, how different cities have sought to realise its potential, how universities play a role in its realisation and, overall, what this reveals about the relationship between politics, cap...

This is an accessible introduction to the philosophy of social research which relates philosophical ideas to actual research practice. The book makes effective use of illustrations from the UK, US and Europe to examine specific problems and broader issues. The book is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in social research methods within sociology, social policy, politics, social psychology, human geography; philosophy of social science and social theory courses; and as a pe...

This text successfully bridges the gap between theory and methods in social research, bringing understanding of the dynamics of social relations.

Why use qualitative methods? What kinds of questions can qualitative methods help you answer? How do you actually do rigorous and reflective qualitative research in the real world?Written by a team of leading researchers associated with NatCen Social Research (the National Centre for Social Research) this textbook leads students and researchers through the entire process of qualitative research from beginning to end - moving through design, sampling, data collection, analysis and r...

Designed for students and practitioners, this practical book shows how to do evidence-based research in public health. As a great deal of evidence-based practice occurs online, it focuses on how to find, use, and interpret online sources of public health information. It also includes examples of community-based participatory research and shows how to link data with community preferences and needs. Each chapter begins with specific learning objectives and concludes with practice ex...

Geocomputation is the use of software and computing power to solve complex spatial problems. It is gaining increasing importance in the era of the ‘big data’ revolution, of ‘smart cities’, of crowdsourced data, and of associated applications for viewing and managing data geographically - like Google Maps. This student focused book:Provides a selection of practical examples of geocomputational techniques and ‘hot topics’ written by world leading practitioners.Integra...

Kathy Charmaz presents the definitive guide to doing grounded theory from a constructivist perspective. This second edition of her groundbreaking text retains the accessibility and warmth of the first edition whilst introducing cutting edge examples and practical tips.This expanded second edition:- explores how to effectively focus on data collection- demonstrates how to use data for theorizing- adds two new chapters that guide you through conducting and ana...

Originally published in 1919, “The Book of the Damned” was the first non-fiction work published by American author Charles Fort. It explores different types of inexplicable phenomena ranging from UFOs and strange weather to disappearing people, cryptozoology, and much more. A fascinating book that challenges the boundaries of accepted scientific knowledge, “The Book of the Damned” is not to be missed by those with an interest in the strange and unexplained. Charles Hoy Fort (1874–1932) was...

This new edition provides a scholarly and readable introduction to all the key qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and methods, enabling postgraduate and masters-level students and new researchers to reflect on which ones suit their needs and to receive guidance on how to find out more.With chapters written by experienced research practitioners, this second edition has been extensively expanded and updated. There are seven completely new chapters, as well as: