Doing Qualitative Research

Front Cover
SAGE, Nov 16, 2009 - Social Science - 472 pages
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Written in a lively, accessible style, Doing Qualitative Research, 3rd Edition provides a step-by-step guide to all the questions students ask when beginning their first research project. Silverman demonstrates how to learn the craft of qualitative research by applying knowledge about different methods to actual data. He provides practical advice on key issues such as: defining 'originality' and narrowing down a topic; keeping a research diary and writing a research report;and presenting research to different audiences.

Doing Qualitative Research, 3rd Edition, is substantially updated and revised. Among its new, attractive features are:

- problem-based format, making extensive use of statements and queries by recent research students

- two new chapters on data-gathering and ethical issues in student research

- material relevant for both Masters and PhD students

- examples from many social science disciplines and from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe

- detailed discussion of different analytical models used in research

- additional material on the treatment of visual data

- an updated chapter on computer-aided qualitative data analysis

- boxed tips and links to websites throughout the text

- an expanded index and glossary

- a companion website which includes further readings and exercises

Each stage in the research process is grounded in worked examples based on the experiences of real students, with exercises designed both to test readers' knowledge and to encourage the development of practical skills.

This hugely popular textbook is essential reading for anyone planning their own research project.

David Silverman is Professor Emeritus, Sociology Department, Goldsmiths College and Visiting Professor, Management Department, Kings College, University of London.

From inside the book

Contents

Part One Introduction
1
1 How To Use This Book
3
2 What You Can and Cant Do with Qualitative Research
5
3 The Research Experience I
17
4 The Research Experience II
43
5 What Counts as Originality?
68
Part Two Starting Out
77
6 Selecting a Topic
79
18 The Literature Review Chapter
318
19 The Methodology Chapter
330
20 Writing Your Data Chapters
339
21 Your Final Chapter
352
Part Five Getting Support
361
22 Making Good Use of Your Supervisor
363
23 Getting Feedback
371
Part Six Review
385

7 Using Theories
101
8 Choosing a Methodology
117
9 Selecting a Case
137
10 Ethical Research
152
11 Writing a Research Proposal
179
Part Three Collecting and Analysing Your Data
187
12 Collecting Your Data
189
13 Developing Data Analysis
218
14 Using Computers To Analyse Qualitative Data
251
15 Quality in Qualitative Research
268
16 Evaluating Qualitative Research
292
Part Four Writing Up
311
24 Effective Qualitative Research
387
Part Seven The Aftermath
393
25 Surviving an Oral Examination
395
26 Getting Published
405
27 Audiences
417
28 Finding a Job
424
Simplified Transcription Symbols
430
Glossary
432
References
440
Author Index
453
Subject Index
455
Copyright

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About the author (2009)

David Silverman is Visiting Professor in the Business School, University of Technology, Sydney. He has lived in London for most of his life, where he attended Christ's College Finchley and did a BSc (Economics) at the London School of Economics in the 1960s. Afterwards, he went to the USA for graduate work, obtaining an MA in the Sociology Department, University of California, Los Angeles. He returned to LSE to write a PhD on organization theory. This was published as The Theory of Organizations in 1970. Apart from brief spells teaching at UCLA, his main teaching career was at Goldsmiths College. His three major research projects were on decision making in the Personnel Department of the Greater London Council (Organizational Work, written with Jill Jones, 1975), paediatric outpatient clinics (Communication and Medical Practice, 1987) and HIV-test counselling (Discourses of Counselling, 1997). He pioneered a taught MA in Qualitative Research at Goldsmiths in 1985 and supervised around 30 successful PhD students. Since becoming Emeritus Professor in 1999, he has continued publishing methodology books. He has also run workshops for research students in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Besides all this, David's other interests include classical music, literary fiction, bridge, county cricket and spending time with his grandchildren.

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