"Ethnography and Virtual Worlds" is the only book of its kind - a concise, comprehensive, and practical guide for students, teachers, designers, and scholars interested in using ethnographic methods to study online virtual worlds, including both game and nongame environments. Written by leading ethnographers of virtual worlds, and focusing on the key method of participant observation, the book provides invaluable advice, tips, guidelines, and principles to aid researchers through every stage of a project, from choosing an online fieldsite to writing and publishing the results. This title provides practical and detailed techniques for ethnographic research customized to reflect the specific issues of online virtual worlds, both game and nongame. It draws on research in a range of virtual worlds, including Everquest, Second Life, There.com, and World of Warcraft. It provides suggestions for dealing with institutional review boards, human subjects protocols, and ethical issues. It guides the reader through the full trajectory of ethnographic research, from research design to data collection, data analysis, and writing up and publishing research results. It addresses myths and misunderstandings about ethnographic research, and argues for the scientific value of ethnography.

An innovative and accessible guide to doing social research in the digital age
In just the past several years, we have witnessed the birth and rapid spread of social media, mobile phones, and numerous other digital marvels. In addition to changing how we live, these tools enable us to collect and process data about human behavior on a scale never before imaginable, offering entirely new approaches to core questions about social behavior. Bit by Bit is the key to unlocking these powerful methods―a landmark book that will fundamentally change how the next generation of social scientists and data scientists explores the world around us.
Bit by Bit is the essential guide to mastering the key principles of doing social research in this fast-evolving digital age. In this comprehensive yet accessible book, Matthew Salganik explains how the digital revolution is transforming how social scientists observe behavior, ask questions, run experiments, and engage in mass collaborations. He provides a wealth of real-world examples throughout, and also lays out a principles-based approach to handling ethical challenges in the era of social media.
Bit by Bit is an invaluable resource for social scientists who want to harness the research potential of big data and a must-read for data scientists interested in applying the lessons of social science to tomorrow’s technologies.
Illustrates important ideas with examples of outstanding research
Combines ideas from social science and data science in an accessible style and without jargon
Goes beyond the analysis of “found” data to discuss the collection of “designed” data such as surveys, experiments, and mass collaboration
Features an entire chapter on ethics
Includes extensive suggestions for further reading and activities for the classroom or self-study

Advances in qualitative methods and recent developments in the philosophy of science have led to an emphasis on explanation via reference to causal mechanisms. This book argues that the method known as process tracing is particularly well suited to developing and assessing theories about such mechanisms. The editors begin by establishing a philosophical basis for process tracing - one that captures mainstream uses while simultaneously being open to applications by interpretive scholars. Equally important, they go on to establish best practices for individual process-tracing accounts - how micro to go, when to start (and stop), and how to deal with the problem of equifinality. The contributors then explore the application of process tracing across a range of subfields and theories in political science. This is an applied methods book which seeks to shrink the gap between the broad assertion that 'process tracing is good' and the precise claim 'this is an instance of good process tracing'.

Providing a complete portal to the world of case study research, the Fourth Edition of Robert K. Yin's bestselling text "Case Study Research" offers comprehensive coverage of the design and use of the case study method as a valid research tool. This thoroughly revised text now covers more than 50 case studies (approximately 25 per cent new), gives fresh attention to quantitative analyses, discusses more fully the use of mixed methods research designs, and includes new methodological insights. The book's coverage of case study research and how it is applied in practice gives readers access to exemplary case studies drawn from a wide variety of academic and applied fields. The fourth edition highlights each specific research feature through 44 boxed vignettes that feature previously published case studies. It provides methodological insights to show the similarities between case studies and other social science methods. It suggests a three-stage approach to help readers define the initial questions they will consider in their own case study research. It covers new material on human subjects protection, the role of Institutional Review Boards, and the interplay between obtaining IRB approval and the final development of the case study protocol and conduct of a pilot case. It includes an overall graphic of the entire case study research process at the beginning of the book, then highlights the steps in the process through graphics that appear at the outset of all the chapters that follow. It offers in-text learning aids including 'tips' that pose key questions and answers at the beginning of each chapter, practical exercises, endnotes, and a new cross-referencing table. "Case Study Research, Fourth Edition" is ideal for courses in departments of Education, Business and Management, Nursing and Public Health, Public Administration, Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science.

超越量化與質化之爭
尋找「好研究」的共同原理
近二十年來最重要的社會科學方法論經典
哈佛三大重量級學者思辨結晶
◎哈佛、哥倫比亞、華盛頓、普林斯頓等大學「方法論課程」指定教材
在社會科學中，普遍存在兩種截然不同甚至對立的方法論典範：量化研究和質化研究。儘管壁壘分明，但社會科學家一直希望為兩者尋找共通準則。這種嘗試從來沒有間斷，本書是諸多嘗試中，最具影響力的一部作品。
這本由哈佛大學三大學者合著的經典，反駁了質化學者對於量化研究的種種偏見，對質化研究諸多「不科學」之處提出犀利批評，並期盼質化學者運用量化分析的嚴整邏輯，讓研究變得「更科學」。
這種觀點在社會科學界引起極大震撼，激起方法論的大論戰，自出版二十多年來與之論辯的文章與專書不斷，至今對於捍衛質化方法的研究者來說，依然構成重大挑戰。
「好研究」的共同特色
◎ 選擇對現實世界重要的問題來研究
◎ 選用可證偽的理論
◎ 有根據地選擇個案：避免只選擇符合理論假設的個案
◎ 以描述推論與解釋為目的
◎ 公開研究過程：研究者會清楚報告他們收集和分析資料的方法
◎ 報告不確定性：社會科學處理的是高度複雜的社會現象，研究者的推論出自於不完整的資料與測量，很難完美無缺，因此必須報告結論的不確定性有多少
本書特色
涵蓋研究設計的每個步驟
從提出問題、尋找理論、選取個案和觀測值、檢驗理論與資料的正確性、發現因果關係、最後到報告結論，涉及方法論所有面向
詳細討論方法論的重要概念
包括描述推論、因果推論、可觀察意涵、單位同質性、選擇性偏誤、平均因果效應、測量誤差、內生性
清楚的實例說明，拆解經典著作的研究設計
包括《使民主運轉起來》（Robert Putnam）、《抵制保護主義》（Helen Milner）、Stalinist Political Economy（Nina Halpern）、The State and Poverty in India（Atul Kohli）、Hegemony and Culture（David Laitin）
理論與實際操作兼具
本書處於抽象的哲學爭論與研究者實作技術之間的中間地帶，關注所有社會科學研究背後潛藏的基本邏輯。
適用領域
政治學、公共行政、社會學、人類學、歷史學、經濟學和心理學等其他學科，以及法律證據、教育研究和臨床論證等非學科型研究領域。
適用課程
質化研究、研究方法、社會科學方法論、研究設計、比較研究、國際關係研究、因果推論

《质的研究方法与社会科学研究》是国内第一部系统评介“质的研究方法”（qualitative research）的专著，对目前国际社会科学界提出的有关理论问题以及新近发展出来的操作手段进行了深入的探讨，并结合有关西方学者以及作者自己的研究实例对其进行了生动的展示和说明。“质的研究方法”目前在社会科学研究领域是与“量的研究方法”相提并论、交相辉映的一种研究方法，它要求研究者深入社会现象，通过亲身体验了解研究对象的存在方式和意义解释，在原始资料的基础之上建立相关理论。

一本针对研究生的讲述定量研究方法的教辅书，美国定量研究方法领域权威教授写就，针对中国国内“重定性，轻定量”的研究现状，就定量研究的本质、基础、范畴和争论，做了精辟的论述和分析，是国内外广大对社会科学方法研究有专长或有兴趣的学者和学生必备的手册和工具，正应时下社会科学研究之需。

本书介绍了一种环形研究过程：思考-写作-修订-重新思考，并提出了在寻找话题、制定计划、收集资料、组织论据、起草初稿、修改润色等各个环节中贯彻以读者为中心原则的具体方法。如何将模糊的兴趣转为一个值得提出和解决的难题；如何建立一个论证，并让读者愿意接受你的观点；如何预知那些思维缜密且具有批判力的读者的不同意见，并适当地加以回应；如何撰写导言与结论，回答这个最棘手的问题：“那又怎样？”如何从读者的角度阅读自己的作品，因而知道该什么时候以及如何修改你的研究报告。

劳伦斯·汉米尔顿编著的《应用STATA做统计分析(更新至STATA10.0版)》从STATA软件与STATA的资源，数据管理，制图，概要统计及交互表，方差分析和其他比较方法，线性回归分析，回归诊断，拟合曲线，稳健回归，LOGISTlC回归，生存模型与事件计数模型，主成分、因子和聚类分析，时间序列分析，编程入门，等等，完整而精练地介绍了STATA软件或软件包的各项基本功能和在统计分析中的应用。《应用STATA做统计分析》以列举实例的方式编写，并穿插了上百幅图片，广泛引证各种相关资料中的数据，简明地介绍了常用的各种命令的分析运行情况，便于学习掌握。此外，在最后一章拓展性地介绍了常用的编程知识和技能，以便于能更加灵活地运用STATA软件做更多的统计分析。
《应用STATA做统计分析(更新至STATA10.0版)》突出了程序性、实用性、完整性，本书兼具教材和使用手册的特点，适宜作为致力于统计学研究和数据分析应用的专家和学者自学参考。