This thorough revision of Babbie's standard-setting text presents a succinct, straightforward introduction to the field of research methods as practiced by social scientists. Contemporary examples, such as terrorism, Alzheimer's disease, anti-gay prejudice and education, and the legalization of marijuana, introduce students to the "how-tos" and "whys" of social research methods. Updated with new data, expanded coverage of online research and other topics, and new Learning Objectives for each chapter to focus students' attention on important concepts, this edition continues to be authoritative yet student-friendly and engaging as it helps students connect the dots between the world of social research and the real world.

Part I: AN INTRODUCTION TO INQUIRY.
1. Human Inquiry and Science.
2. Paradigms, Theory, and Research.
3. The Ethics and Politics of Social Research.
Part II: THE STRUCTURING OF INQUIRY: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE.
4. Research Design.
5. Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement.
6. Indexes, Scales, and Typologies.
7. The Logic of Sampling.
Part III: MODES OF OBSERVATION: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE.
8. Experiments.
9. Survey Research.
10. Qualitative Field Research.
11. Unobtrusive Research.
12. Evaluation Research.
Part IV: ANALYSIS OF DATA: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE.
13. Qualitative Data Analysis.
14. Quantitative Data Analysis.
15. Reading and Writing Social Research.
Appendix A: Using the Library.
Appendix B: Random Numbers.
Appendix C: Distribution of Chi Square.
Appendix D: Normal Curve Areas.
Appendix E: Estimated Sampling Error.

This thorough revision of Babbie's standard-setting text presents a succinct, straightforward introduction to the field of research methods as practiced by social scientists. Contemporary examples, such as terrorism, Alzheimer's disease, anti-gay prejudice and education, and the legalization of marijuana, introduce students to the "how-tos" and "whys" of social research methods. Updated with new data, expanded coverage of online research and other topics, and new Learning Objectives for each chapter to focus students' attention on important concepts, this edition continues to be authoritative yet student-friendly and engaging as it helps students connect the dots between the world of social research and the real world. This edition is thoroughly updated with GSS (General Social Survey), census, and other data throughout the text. Many new sections cover a variety of topics, including mixed mode study designs and a greatly expanded treatment of online surveys and unobtrusive online research. A discussion of the Facebook research flap of 2012 illustrates some research ethics issues. There's also expanded coverage of the use of mobile devices for data input by subjects. A box prepared by a graduate student working in foreign settings reveals some of the problems that can be faced in the field. "How to Do It" boxes discuss hands-on topics related to research, including framing a hypothesis, identifying the unit of analysis, and using Google Scholar. Each chapter has a "Proposing Social Research" section that connects chapter content to the task of developing a research proposal. Thought-provoking "What Do You Think? Revisited" boxes at the end of each chapter explore the same topic as the chapter-opening "What Do You Think?" box. "Applying Concepts in Everyday Life" features show students how a particular logical discussion or research procedure applies to the world around them. "Issues and Insights" box highlights key research studies and findings.