Innovations in Digital Research Methods
- Peter Halfpenny - University of Manchester, UK
- Rob Procter - University of Warwick, UK
Vast amounts of digital data are now generated daily by people as they go about their lives, yet social researchers are struggling to exploit it. At the same time, the challenges faced by society in the 21st century are growing ever more complex, and demands research that is bigger in scale, more collaborative and multi-disciplinary than ever before.
This cutting-edge volume provides an accessible introduction to innovative digital social research tools and methods that harness this ‘data deluge’ and successfully tackle key research challenges. Contributions from leading international researchers cover topics such as:
- Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research
- Data management
- Social media and social network analysis
- Modeling and simulation
- Survey methods
- Visualizing social data
- Ethics and e-research
- The future of social research in the digital age
This vibrant introduction to innovative digital research methods is essential reading for anyone conducting social research today.
Supplements
This textbook is going to be adopted only as supplemental reading. The ideas discussed there are general and the text is lacking a more practical methodological discussion. The idea of eResearch is valid and is up-to-date. The motivation for doing digital research is presented well in this book. Just students in our university are looking for more practical guidance and examples from the methodological point of view.
I am recommending this book for students doing research online as it provides some interesting insights about digital methods. I was however hopeful it would provide more cutting edge approaches such as digital participatory methods. That is why it's not part of the essential reading list
This is a clearly written and very useful text covering the intricacies of digital data collection and the ethical issues.
An excellent text for exploring digital research methods. It is very useful for both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
A highly comprehensive introduction to this newest sphere of research methods. Very helpful.
Interesting insights into an emerging area of research
This book is ideal for undergraduate students embarking on a qualitative research project for the first time. The chapters are littered with practical examples and the activities and critical thinking questions allow the student to apply the key concepts to their own research in a way that de-mystifies the research process.
A good introduction for a novice to digital research. It addresses most of the key research topics in this field. Will be helpful to orientate undergraduates to different digital research methods and to motivate them to consider it to venture into eResearch.
Provides some good insights into digital research methods, which may help support students to develop their own line presence.
The book provides a contemporary overview of research methods in an increasingly digitalised world. The chapters on changing data in the social sciences and recognising new sources of data were particularly relevant and the case studies provide contextual information for students from different disciplines and backgrounds. The overview of research involving social media data is also timely and relevant. Although this book is a little too high as a reading level for my students, parts of it would serve well as background reading and illustration of non-traditional research methods that could help them to think outside the box in terms of data and where to find it.
