Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Edited by Theodoros Iosifides, Professor of Social Science Methods, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Greece

‘This volume is a crucial intervention, moving social research past the restrictive subject-object dualism. By embracing methodological reflexivity and engaged research, it powerfully asserts that social science is not merely interpreting the world, but actively participating in its construction. Essential reading for scholars seeking a holistic, ethically grounded approach to knowledge production.’

• ContentsPreface xivAcknowledgements xvi1 Agent-based modelling 1Leonardo Bargigli, Luca Riccetti, Alberto Russo, and Nicola Visonà2 Arts-based research 10Margrit Schreier and Nicole Weydmann3 Coding qualitative data 18Philip Adu4 Critical realism 27John Michael Roberts5 Critical realism methods 34Michalis Christodoulou6 Dialectics and research methods in social sciences 42Manolis Dafermos7 Digital ethnography 48Georgios Chatzichristos8 Discourse analysis 54Eleftheria Tseliou and Filippos Tentolouris9 Epistemology of social sciences 62Nikos Nagopoulos10 Experimental ethnographic methods 69Carlos Diz and Eleder Piñeiro Aguiar11 Experiments in social research 77Petros Roussos12 FAIR data 84Dimitra Kondyli13 Focus groups 91Jackie Waterfield and Julius Sim14 Focused ethnography 98Leanne M. Kelly15 Grounded theory 105Giorgos Tsiolis16 Homelessness research 113Vassilis P. Arapoglou and Ioanna Gouseti17 Longitudinal research 120Emanuela Sala and Daniele Zaccaria18 Mapping methods for the social sciences 127Dounia Salamé and Luce Beeckmans19 Methodological nationalism 132Kyriakos Bonidis20 Methods in demography 141Pavlos Baltas21 Methods in economic geography 150Elias A. Kourliouros22 Militant research in the social sciences 160Charalampos Tsavdaroglou23 Mixed methods 167Theodoros Iosifides24 New materialisms and social research methodology 171Nick J. Fox25 Oral history methods 180Christos Chrysanthopoulos and Eleni Kyramargiou26 Phenomenology and social research 185Henrik Gert Larsen27 Positivism and social sciences 193Tryfonas Lemontzoglou28 Postmodern methods (and techniques) 196Lila Leontidou29 Pragmatism for social research 203Leanne M. Kelly and Maya Cordeiro30 Qualitative content analysis 211Margrit Schreier31 Qualitative data analysis software in the era of artificial intelligence 219Loukia-Maria Fratsea32 Qualitative interviewing 227Kathryn Roulston33 Qualitative social research 236Theodoros Iosifides34 Quantitative methods in social research 243Eleni Gaki35 Rank-size analysis: a methodological view 252Roy Cerqueti and Marcel Ausloos36 Realist evaluation 258Ana Manzano37 Reflexivity in social research 264Nicole Brown38 Regression analysis 269Sotirios Koukoulas39 Research ethics 277Manos Savvakis40 Research methods in economics 284Martin Paldam41 Research methods in rural studies 292Apostolos G. Papadopoulos42 Research methods in urban segregation 300Thomas Maloutas and Vassilis P. Arapoglou43 Social constructionism 307Anna Traianou and Martyn Hammersley44 Structural equation models 313Alessandro Magrini45 Survey research 318Jung-Sook Lee46 Visual methods 327Paula González Granados and Ana Lucía Hernández Cordero