Matter of Record

Documentary Sources in Social Research

Häftad, Engelska, 1990

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This textbook aims to give an introduction to the use of documentary sources in social research. It is designed to be a companion to courses in research methods in the social sciences and history and a reference text for those beginning research on documentary sources. The book begins with an overview of the nature of social research and the variety of methods which can be used. Scott identifies three types of evidence useful in such research - physical evidence, personal evidence and documentary evidence. He argues that the logic of research is common to each type of evidence, but that each involves specific methodological issues. An appraisal grid for the analysis of documents is presented, showing the criteria which must be used in evaluating documentary sources. In the following chapters these criteria are applied to the variety of documentary sources available to the social researcher: census data and official statistics; government publications; directories and yearbooks; personal diaries and letters.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum1990-03-01
Mått155 x 235 x 25 mm
Vikt390 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor200
FörlagJohn Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISBN9780745600703

Tillhör följande kategorier

Sociologi inom Samhälle och politik

List of Figures VIIPreface ix1 Social Research and Documentary Sources 1Evidence and data in social research 2What are documents? 102 Assessing Documentary Sources 19Authenticity: soundness and authorship 19Credibility: sincerity and accuracy 22Representativeness: survival and availability 24Meaning: literal and interpretative understanding 283 The Use of Documents in Social Research 36The search for King Arthur 38Who wrote the Zinoviev letter? 43The social meanings of suicide 48Social research and the relativity of accounts 544 The Official Realm: Public and Private 59The State, surveillance and secrecy 60Official documents in the State 63Official records in the private sphere 785 Administrative Routines and Situated Decisions 83Conceptual instruments and administrative routines 84Situated decisions 906 Explorations in Official Documents 96Occupation, class and inequality 96Class schemas and the problem of meaning 111Measuring the class structure 117The records of health, welfare and education 123Business and industrial records 1297 The Public Sphere and Mass Communication 136Public opinion, the media and the audience 137Images, content and meaning 143Directories, almanacs and yearbooks 156The annals of the rich and powerful 1638 Personal Documents 173Diaries, letters and autobiographies 174Photographs and visual sources 185Notes 198Index 227