Making Sense of the Social World

Methods of Investigation

This bestselling text introduces social science research methods to study diverse social processes and to improve our understanding of social issues. Each chapter illustrates principles and techniques in research methods with interesting examples drawn from social science investigations and everyday experiences. The many updates to the Seventh Edition include: new examples of contemporary research including on social media and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; new developments in methods including the challenges of the 2020 U.S. Census, survey response rates and survey question design, and more emphasis on culturally responsive research ethics; a new “Research in the News” feature in every chapter give topical examples of social research from the news media; new statistical data is incorporated throughout including from the 2022 General Social Survey; and the text is now available on the Sage Vantage platform, which includes learning tools such as highlighting, note-taking, exploration of related resources, videos, knowledge checks and assessment.