Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Preface to the Second Edition vii
1 Evaluating Social Science Research: An Overview 1
2 Questions and Hypotheses 24
3 Research Designs and Representativeness 42
4 Data Quality 66
5 Descriptive Statistics: Graphs and Charts 97
6 Descriptive Statistics: Indicators of Central
Tendency and Variability 117
7 Statistical Inference 139
8 Correlational Studies 159
9 Parametric Tests 178
10 Non-parametric Tests 203
11 Controlling Variables and Drawing Conclusions 219
12 Planning Your Own Research 235
Appendix A Sample Article 247
Appendix B An Introduction to Spreadsheets 254
References 266
Index 269