Cargan, Leonard. Doing Social Research.

• Author: Skott, Beth Pamela
• Position: Book review

Cargan, Leonard. Doing Social Research. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007. xv + 345 pages. Cloth, $85; paper, $29.95.

The field of social-science research methods has generated numerous texts, and some might even suggest that it is saturated. However, Doing Social Research by Leonard Cargan is a welcome addition to the field. This book is thorough and well-written, and manages to be both informative and interesting. Many texts that focus on research methods are written in such a way that can contribute to the "Methods Anxiety" experienced by many undergraduate students. This text, however, manages to be comforting. Cargan opens with the assumption that the student has little to no prior experience with research methods. His writing style is clear, straightforward, concise, and easy to follow. Beyond the standard introduction and conclusion, each chapter includes questions and exercises designed to ensure that students understand the information before moving on to the next chapter. For example, Chapter 4, "The Research Proposal," offers a bulleted breakdown of the components of a research proposal which the student will find valuable in the research process. More value is added in the fact that Cargan then explains each bullet in detail. This type of instruction is valuable to students, as it allows individuals to learn in a way that works best for them.

Each chapter that discusses data in terms of collection and analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, ends with a collection of classic studies that enables the student to see real-world applications of the material discussed. This exposure is an excellent tool for teaching the merits of peer-reviewed research. Cargan does not limit himself to classic studies, and is to be commended for including more contemporary examples in each chapter. While all of these examples suggest that this book is geared towards the sociology student, it is written in such a way that an introductory-level research-methods student in any social science or related field will find it useful.

Topics such as writing a literature review and forming a hypothesis, both of which are often difficult for students to grasp, are explained very clearly. Beyond the standard explanation of the reasons for a literature review, Cargan clearly explains every step of the literature search, including several computer-assisted reference tools beyond the standard library-search system. More notably, in...