First edition published 2000.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part One: Introduction; Chapter 1: How To Use This Book; Chapter 2: What You Can (and Can't) Do with Qualitative Research; Why Do Researchers Use Qualitative Methods?; Are Qualitative Methods Always Appropriate?; Should You Use Qualitative Methods?; Chapter 3: Focusing a Research Project; Moira's Research Diary; Sally's Research Diary; Simon's Research Diary; Part Two: Starting Out and Project Foundations; Chapter 4: Ethical Research; The Standards of Ethical Research; Why Ethics Matter for Your Research; Ethical Guidelines in Practice; Complex Ethical Issues; Research Governance; Managing Unfolding Ethical Demands; Chapter 5: What Counts as 'Originality'?; Originality; Being a Professional; Independent Critical Thought; Chapter 6: Research Design; Interviews; Ethnographies; Texts; The Internet; Audio Data; Visual Data; Mixed Methods; Chapter 7: Using Theories; How Theoretical Models Shape Research; The Different Languages of Qualitative Research; Theories, Models and Hypotheses; Examples; Chapter 8: Formulating a Research Question; Challenges; Solutions; Some Cautions; Chapter 9: Choosing a Methodology; Qualitative or Quantitative?; Your Research Strategy; Choosing a Methodology: a Case Study; Naturally Occurring Data?; Mixed Methods?; Chapter 10: Writing a Research Proposal; Aim for Crystal Clarity; Plan Before You Write; Be Persuasive; Be Practical; Make Broader Links; A Caution: Misunderstanding Qualitative Research?; Part Three: Getting Support; Making Good Use of Your Supervisor; Supervision Horror Stories; Student and Supervisor Expectations; The Early Stages; The Later Stages; Standards of Good Practice; Chapter 12: Getting Feedback; Writing; Speaking; The Art of Presenting Research; Feedback from the People You Study; Part Four: Collecting and Analysing Data; Chapter 13: How many cases do you need?; What is a case study?; The Quantitative Model of Generalization; The Rationale of Case Study Design; Case study Research in Practice; Chapter 14: Collecting Your Data; Collecting Interview Data; Collecting Focus Group Data; Collecting Ethnographic Data; Collecting Internet Data; Chapter 15: Developing Data Analysis; Kick-Starting Data Analysis; A Case Study; Interviews; Fieldnotes; Transcripts; Visual Data; Chapter 16: Using Computers to Analyse Qualitative Data; A note on learning to use QDA software; What QDA software can do for you; Advantages of QDA software; Text analytics; Chapter 17: Quality in Qualitative Research; Validity; Reliability; Chapter 18: Evaluating Qualitative Research; Two Guides for Evaluating Research; Four Quality Criteria; Applying Quality Criteria; Four Quality Issues Revisited; Chapter 19: Effective Qualitative Research; Keep It Simple; Do Not Assume That We Are Only Concerned with Subjective Experience; Take Advantage of Using Qualitative Data; Avoid Drowning in Data; Avoid Journalism; Part Five: Writing Up Your Research; Chapter 20: Considering Your Audience; The Policy-Making Audience; The Practitioner Audience; The Lay Audience; Chapter 21: The First Few Pages; The Title; The Abstract; Keywords; The Table of Contents; Chapter 22: The Literature Review Chapter; Recording Your Reading; Writing your Literature Review; Practical Questions; Principles; Do You Need a Literature Review Chapter?; Chapter 23: The Methodology Chapter; What Should the Methodology Chapter Contain?; A Natural History Chapter?; Chapter 24: The Data Chapters; The Macrostructure; The Microstructure; Tightening Up; Chapter 25: The Concluding Chapter; The Concluding Chapter as Mutual Stimulation; What Exactly Should Your Concluding Chapter Contain?; Confessions and Trumpets; Theorizing as Thinking Through Data; Writing for Audiences; Why Your Concluding Chapter can be Fun; Part Six: The Aftermath; Chapter 26: Surviving an Oral Examination; Viva Horror Stories; Preparing for Your Oral; Doing the Oral; Outcomes; Revising Your Thesis after the Oral; A Case Study; Chapter 27: Getting Published; The Backstage Politics of Publishing; Strategic Choices; What Journals are Looking For; Reviewers' Comments; How to Write a Short Journal Article.

"Accessible, practical, and packed with indispensable advice, this bestselling textbook is the perfect hands-on guide for any student embarking on their own research. With expert advice from the author and real-life experiences from students, this book shows you how to go from the ideas of research to the practicalities of designing, conducting, and writing about your research yourself." -- Provided by publisher.

Accessible, practical, and packed with indispensable advice, this bestselling textbook is the perfect hands-on guide for any student embarking on their own research that now comes with an interactive field guide.

Text in English