Essentials of research methods : a guide to social science research / Janet M. Ruane.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [211]-230) and index.

When should we trust what we know? : why research methods? -- Ethics : it's the right thing to do -- Some perfectly valid points : measurement, internal and external validity -- Measure by measure : making the abstract concrete -- If it glitters is it gold? : assessing measures -- One thing leads to another : causal analysis -- Designing ideas : research strategies -- An informative few : sampling -- Our inquisitive nature : the questionnaire -- Talking heads : the interview -- Watch and learn : field research -- Getting organized : descriptive statistics -- Beyond description : inferential statistics.