What is social research? This useful book answers this question with diverse examples that illustrate current thinking about broad issues in soical science methodology and the logic of analysis. The primary goal of this book is to show unity within the diversity of activities called social research.What the study of census data, the study of one person at a time, monitoring today's events, or reconstruction of social life centuries ago all have in common is that regardless of their case material, they construct representations of social life through a dialogue of ideas (theory) and evidence (data). To illustrate, Ragin points out the important continuities in three major forms of social research: qualitative research on commodities; comparative research on diversity; and quantitative research on relationships among variables.Constructing Social Research is an ideal introduction for students to a course in methods of social research.