Methodological Concepts: A Critical Guide clarifies many key terms and issues in social research methodology. It outlines the conventional meanings of these terms, but also addresses their contentious character. The aim is to offer interpretations of them that provide a coherent conception of the nature of social science.
This book is premised on the idea that more clarity about the meaning of major methodological concepts is essential, and that the disagreements which pervade the field must be addressed. Numerous key terms are discussed across 13 chapters, including -methodology-, -method-, -inquiry-, -research-, -science-, -truth-, -fact-, -rigour-, -bias-, -objectivity-, -data-, -evidence-, -induction-, -deduction-, -abduction-, -understanding-, -explanation-, -reflexivity-, -triangulation-, -theory-, and -researcher integrity-. These concepts have been implicated in fundamental divisions among social scientists, exemplified by the -paradigm wars- of the past few
