Marsden & Wright [Eds] 2010
Peter V Marsden & James D Wright [Eds]
Handbook of Survey Research
(2nd edition, Emerald, 2010, £67.95)
ISBN: 978-1-84855-224-1 Hardback
Publisher’s book details (EmeraldInsight)
Preview pages (on Google books)
Interview with Editors (Question and answer, May 2011, by Margaret Adolphus)
Contributor profiles (on this site)
This huge (886 pages) and invaluable tome should be in the library of every social science department, every university and every serious research organisation. Five years in the making, it’s an impressive new edition of the classic 1983 handbook (Rossi, Wright and Anderson [Eds]) and contains 28 chapters (each with its own comprehensive and up-to-date set of references) by eminent senior practitioners (people who do surveys for a living) whose experience spans half a century or more. There is no nonsense here about the false distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, nor between academic, market and government research environments.
It is arranged in six sections covering the history and place of survey research in the social sciences; theory and practice of survey sampling; measurement problems and techniques (including questionnaire design) fieldwork and data collection methods (including telephone, mail and internet surveys) and survey management, preparation, enhancement and documentation of survey data, special types of surveys (cross-national, panel, repeated, experiments). Only two of the original chapters survive, both heavily revised: all the others are brand new. There is also a comprehensive and accurate subject index.
It's an absolute treasure chest covering all aspects of the theory and practice of survey research as a discipline in its own right. A short review cannot possibly do justice to this admirable and inspiring book: the list of contents, authors and home institutions speaks for itself. For full details see author and institution profiles above.
Handbook of Survey Research
(2nd edition, Emerald, 2010, £67.95)
ISBN: 978-1-84855-224-1 Hardback
Publisher’s book details (EmeraldInsight)
Preview pages (on Google books)
Interview with Editors (Question and answer, May 2011, by Margaret Adolphus)
Contributor profiles (on this site)
This huge (886 pages) and invaluable tome should be in the library of every social science department, every university and every serious research organisation. Five years in the making, it’s an impressive new edition of the classic 1983 handbook (Rossi, Wright and Anderson [Eds]) and contains 28 chapters (each with its own comprehensive and up-to-date set of references) by eminent senior practitioners (people who do surveys for a living) whose experience spans half a century or more. There is no nonsense here about the false distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, nor between academic, market and government research environments.
It is arranged in six sections covering the history and place of survey research in the social sciences; theory and practice of survey sampling; measurement problems and techniques (including questionnaire design) fieldwork and data collection methods (including telephone, mail and internet surveys) and survey management, preparation, enhancement and documentation of survey data, special types of surveys (cross-national, panel, repeated, experiments). Only two of the original chapters survive, both heavily revised: all the others are brand new. There is also a comprehensive and accurate subject index.
It's an absolute treasure chest covering all aspects of the theory and practice of survey research as a discipline in its own right. A short review cannot possibly do justice to this admirable and inspiring book: the list of contents, authors and home institutions speaks for itself. For full details see author and institution profiles above.