Field Research

This text guides researchers in conducting research in situations of violent conflict or human rights abuses. It informs the reader of the ongoing debates about responsible scholarship and explains how to identify and address challenges in conducting qualitative research in difficult circumstances.

There are a range of roles that can be played by ethnographers in field research. The choice of role will affect the type of information available to the researcher and the kind of ethnography written. The authors discuss the problems and advantages at each level of involvement and give examples of modern ethnographic studies.

A Guide to Qualitative Field Research provides readers with clear, practical, and specific instructions for conducting qualitative research in the field. In the expanded Third Edition, Carol A. Bailey gives increased attention to the early and last stages of field research, often the most difficult: selecting a topic, deciding upon the purpose of your research, and writing the final paper, all in her signature reader-friendly writing style. This edition features research examples from graduate and undergraduate students to make examples meaningful to fellow students; a new “Putting It All Together” feature, with examples of how different parts of the research process interact; and more emphasis on the “nuts and bolts” of research, such as what to include in an informed consent form, a proposal, and the final paper. New to this Edition: Objectives features help students focus on the skills they need to develop and can be used as the basis for evaluating whether the skills have been achieved. Expanded coverage of research in virtual settings ensures that readers get a well-rounded understanding of both in-person and digital research methods. Examples of research conducted by students help students generate ideas for their own research, provides concrete examples of the material discussed in the guide, and illustrates that field research is not just done by advanced scholars.

Exploring the challenges and risks of social science fieldwork, this book shares best practice for conducting research in hostile environments and pragmatic advice to help you make good decisions. Drawing on the authors’ experiences in regions of conflict and grounded in real-world examples, the book: · Provides practical guidance on important considerations like choosing a research question in sensitive contexts · Gives advice on data and digital security to help you minimize fieldwork risk in a contemporary research environment · Offers tools and templates you can use to develop a tailored security framework Building your understanding of the challenges of on-the-ground research, this book empowers you to meet the challenges of your research landscape head on.

There are now numerous textbooks, sets of readings and reflections on doing socialresearch. Much of this textbook material is American and deals with the way in whichsocial research and in particular social surveys should be done. These 'cookbook'approaches to social research omit discussions of the interplay between research methodsand research experience. Accordingly, research biographies have been produced in whicheditors have invited researchers to 'come clean' about the way in which research isactually done. While such accounts are high on description of the research process, theyare ofte.

This book explains how field research contributes value to political science by exploring scholars' experiences, detailing exemplary practices, and asserting key principles.

An essential exploration of and guide to research ethics in the field.