Understanding Research in the Digital Age - Hardcover

If you use digital data, you should read this book! A valuable guide to the big issues, challenges, and opportunities of social science in the digital age, this book emphasizes ethics, expectations, and expertise --and solid critical thinking. I plan to make good use of it in my teaching.

A guide to understanding digital research from both a conceptual and practical perspective, helping the reader to make sense of the issues, challenges and opportunities of social science research in the digital age.

The book will help the reader to understand how the digital context impacts on social science research and is divided into three main sections:

• A Justification & Reconceptualization of Digital Research:  The authors explore how far the digital environment is transforming social science research.
• Accessing Digital Data: An outline of the characteristics of digital data, temporality issues in digital research and different data sources.
• Moving Forward with Digital Research: Examining the practicalities of how to conduct digital research, with examples and suggestions to strengthen the implementation of digital research.

Suitable for Masters and Doctoral students undertaking digital or online research methods courses, as well as anyone doing a research project or dissertation with an online component.