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ebook download (eBook PDF) The Process of Social Research by Jeffrey C. Dixon all chapter
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Content s vii
Boxes
Checking Your Understanding 7.1: The Difference between Random
Sampling and Random Assignment 178
Doing Social Research 7.2: Informed Consent Form for an Experiment 187
Reading Social Research 7.3: Thinking Critically about Research Designs
and Threats to Internal Validity 194
Chapter 10 Existing Data Analysis: Using Data from Secondhand Sources 288
Sources and Examples of Existing Data 289
Public Documents and Official Records 290
Private Documents 291
Mass Media 291
Physical, Nonverbal Evidence 292
Social Science Data Archives 292
Analysis of Existing Statistical Data 293
Existing Statistics Example: The Impact of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on
Teen Childbearing 295
The Process of Analyzing Existing Statistics 297
Content Analysis 301
Content Analysis Example: Journalistic Accounts of the Iraq War 302
The Process of Content Analysis 304
Comparative Historical Analysis 313
An Example of Comparative Historical Analysis: The Emergence
of Mass Imprisonment 313
The Process of Comparative Historical Analysis 316
Strengths and Limitations of Existing Data Analysis 322
Studying Social Structure, History, and Social Change 322
Nonreactive Measurement 323
Cost Efficiency 323
Data Limitations 323
Boxes
Reading Social Research 10.1: The Ecological Fallacy 299
Checking Your Understanding 10.2: Identifying Units of Analysis 306
Doing Social Research 10.3: Analyzing the Content of Cell Phone Use 312
Glossary 447
References 455
Credits 472
Index 475
xv
xvi
ORGANIZATION
The book is organized into 14 chapters, grouped as follows:
xvii
FEATURES
The book has several special features that will be useful in teaching and learning about
the process of social research.
• Learning objectives are listed at the opening of each chapter, previewing key
topics being discussed.
• Flowcharts illustrate the underlying logic of methods while providing step-by-
step guides to conducting social research.
• Section summaries highlight the main ideas after each major section of a chapter.
• Boxes assess comprehension of key concepts (Checking Your Understanding), and
provide practical advice to conduct social research (Doing Social Research) and
to understand and evaluate research (Reading Social Research).
• Key terms are highlighted and defined in each chapter and also included in the
book’s comprehensive glossary.
• Key Points, Review Questions, and Exercises at the end of each chapter rein-
force learning objectives.
ANCILLARIES
Oxford University Press is proud to offer a complete supplements package to accom-
pany The Process of Social Research.
The Ancillary Resource Center (ARC) at www.oup-arc.com is a convenient,
instructor-focused single destination for resources to accompany this book. Accessed
online through individual user accounts, the ARC provides instructors with up-to-date
COMPANION WEBSITE
The Process of Social Research is also accompanied by an extensive companion website
(www.oup.com/us/dixon), which includes materials, prepared by Royce Singleton, to
help students with every aspect of the course. For each chapter, you will find:
• Learning Objectives that identify the concepts that students should under-
stand after reading each chapter
• Practice quizzes to help students review the material and assess their own
comprehension
• Additional links to websites providing supplemental information on the topics
covered in each chapter
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As sociologists, we know well how much we depend on others. This is certainly true of
producing a book. Indeed, we have benefited greatly from the support of so many people
that it is not possible to thank everyone to whom we are indebted. Still, several persons
deserve special mention. Among Dixon’s and Singleton’s colleagues at the College of the
Holy Cross, Renée Beard provided important input into our discussion of grounded
theory; David Hummon commented on Box 13.2, which is a simplified adaptation of his
teaching technique; and reference librarian Laura Hibbler (formerly at Holy Cross, now
at Brandeis University) helped us refine a set of guidelines for searching databases. Fur-
thermore, we received valuable feedback from Andy Fullerton, Oklahoma State Univer-
sity, on the chapter on quantitative data analysis, and from Johnny Saldaña, A rizona
State University, on the qualitative analysis chapter. Within the latter chapter, Don
Zimmerman of University of California–Santa Barbara, commented on an early version
of the section on conversation analysis, and Kathleen Blee of University of Pittsburgh
offered comments on the section on narrative analysis. Josh Klugman, Temple Univer-
sity, alerted Dixon to the debate surrounding Mark Regnerus’s study on the impact of
gay parenting, which became the focal point of our discussion of politics and research.
As we wrote many of the chapters, we were in contact with the scholars whose re-
search we were highlighting. They not only responded readily to our numerous ques-
tions; they read drafts of chapters in which their work was cited and made many helpful
suggestions. So, we owe a special note of gratitude to Jessica Calarco of Indiana Univer-
sity (Chapter 4), Jeff Lucas of the University of Maryland (Chapter 7), Brian Powell of
Indiana University (Chapter 8), Robert Courtney Smith of City University of New
York (Chapter 9), Jessica Vasquez of University of Oregon (Chapter 9), Melissa Kear-
ney of University of Maryland and Phillip Levine of Wellesley College (Chapter 10),
Andrew Lindner of Skidmore College (Chapter 10), Michael Campbell of University of
California, Irvine, and Heather Schoenfeld of Northwestern University (Chapter 10),
and Leon Anderson of Utah State University (Chapter 13).
We would never have written this book without the encouragement and support of
our editor at Oxford University Press, Sherith Pankratz. We also benefited from the
expert advice and guidance of our developmental editor Elsa Peterson and from the
extraordinary work of assistant editor Katy Albis. In constructing several figures, we
were fortunate to receive the professional input of graphic designer Kate Singleton
Blehar of Blehar Design. Thanks also to John Buckingham of A-V Services at Holy
Cross for preparing several high-resolution images of figures, and to Holy Cross graphic
designer Sharon Matys for creating the facsimile of the letter to Tuskegee participants.
In the Oxford production department, we would like to thank manager of content op-
erations Lisa Grzan, art director Michele Laseau, production editor Keith Faivre, copy
editor Diane Lange, and proofreader Linda Westerhoff. And last, but by no means least,
we would like to acknowledge and thank the Oxford marketing team, including mar-
keting manager Tony Mathias, marketing assistant Jaime Burns, director of marketing
Frank Mortimer, and the other hardworking men and women who are getting our book
into the hands of the students for whom we wrote it.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our spouses. Jeff would like to thank Zeynep
Mirza, whose intellectual and emotional support is nothing short of amazing. Zeynep
commented on early versions of several chapters, had countless discussions with Jeff
about the book, and provided constant encouragement throughout the process of writ-
ing. Royce thanks Nancy for her patience and for acting as an indispensable sounding
board to numerous ideas and drafts. Bruce would like to thank Cathy Straits for keep-
ing him active, healthy, and happy since meeting her in Iceland 15 years ago.
We also would like to note that the order of authorship is simply alphabetical and is
not a measure of the division of labor among the authors.
We would like to extend special thanks to the many instructors who have taken the
time to look over drafts of this manuscript:
Introduction
THE PROCESS OF SOCIAL
RESEARCH 5
FOUR FACEBOOK STUDIES 7
An Experiment 7
Why Care about A Survey 8
A Qualitative Study 10