Uwe Flick - Introducing Research Methodology: A Beginner′s Guide to Doing a Research Project

A Beginners Guide to Doing a Research Project

Second Edition

SAGE Publications Ltd

1 Olivers Yard

55 City Road

London EC1Y 1SP

SAGE Publications Inc.

2455 Teller Road

Thousand Oaks, California 91320

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd

B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road

New Delhi 110 044

SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd

3 Church Street

#10-04 Samsung Hub

Singapore 049483

Uwe Flick 2015

First published 2011. Originally published under the title SOZIAL FORSCHUNG Copyright 2009 by Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek bei Hamburg

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

Library of Congress Control Number: 9781446294239

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-4462-9423-9

ISBN 978-1-4462-9424-6 (pbk)

Editor: Katie Metzler

Assistant editor: Lily Mehrbod

Production editor: Ian Antcliff

Copyeditor: Sharon Cawood

Proofreader: Kate Campbell

Indexer: David Rudeforth

Marketing manager: Ben Griffin-Sherwood

Cover designer: Shaun Mercier

Typeset by: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd, Chennai, India

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

Two main developments have shaped the context of this book. First, the political and practical relevance of social research has grown. Empirically based knowledge on such issues as the gap between rich and poor, changes in the incidence of diseases and the effects of social disadvantage provide the basis for decision-making, both in policy and in professional practice.

Second, an increasing number of university programs include either introductory or advanced training in the principles and methods of social research. In most cases, this covers questions not only of how to understand existing research, but also of how to conduct research projects (on whatever scale). Sometimes this training is embedded in a course or research-based teaching. Often, however, the research project forms a basis for the final (bachelor, masters, doctoral) thesis and students may be more or less working on their own whilst planning and running their research projects.