Doing Social Research

Book excerpt: This third edition of Therese L. Baker's popular text, Doing Social Research offers a hands-on, step-by-step approach to social research that combines authoritative content, effective pedagogy, and an engaging writing style. To that end, the author includes real, classic and contemporary research studies, as well as interviews with the authors of these studies, to personalize the experience of doing social research, and keep students interested and motivated. Baker exposes students to a broad range of research methods, encouraging them to explore the rich universe of social research. In this text, Baker encourages a sense of commitment to doing social research. She exposes students to the choices, the challenges, and the excitement of trying to study some piece of social action, and encourages students to believe that they can become social researchers. Doing Social Research, Third Edition is the answer for sociology and social science students who need a practical understanding of today's key research theories and techniques.