Research methodology textbooks and materials

Political science

Links to a variety of additional Political Science resources and South African Political Science departments can be found on the Yenza! political science page.

To submit a new title please complete the new resource submission form.

Babbie, ER. The practice of social research. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co., c1998.
Edition: 8th ed.
Description: 1 v. (various pagings): ill.; 25 cm.
ISBN: 053450468X

Bailey, KD. Methods of social research. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: New York: Free Press: a division of Macmillan, 1994.
Edition: 4th ed.
Description: xviii, 588 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN: 0029012791

Bless, C & Higson-Smith, C. Fundamentals of social research methods: an African perspective.(Level: Honours)
Publisher: Juta, 2000.
Edition: 3rd ed.
ISBN: 0702153214
Contents: 1. The Different Methods of Acquiring Knowledge; 2. The Scientific Method Applied to Social Reality; 3. Problem Conception and Background Information; 4. Variables and Hypothesis Formulation; 5. The Types of Research; 6. Community-centred Research; 7. Research Design; 8. Sampling; 9. Data Collection: Basic Concepts; 10. Techniques of Data Collection; 11. Reliability and Validity of Measurements; 12. Interpretation of Results and Writing a Research Report; 13. Concluding Remarks.

Bohman, J. New philosophy of social sciences: problems of indeterminacy. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Oxford: Polity, 1991.

Cooper, DE & Emory, CW. Business research methods. (Level: 4th year, Masters)
Publisher: Burr Ridge, Ill.: Irwin
Edition: 5th ed.
Description: XIX, 681 p.
ISBN: 0256137773

Doyal, L & Harris, R. Empiricism, explanation and rationality: an introduction to the philosophy of the social sciences. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986.
Description: 200 p.
ISBN: 0-7102-0960-6.

Leedy, PD. Practical research: planning & design. (2nd year, Honours)
Publisher: New York: Macmillan / New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993.
Edition: 5th ed.
ISBN: 0023692421

Levin, J. Elementary statistics in behavioral research. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: New York: Harper Collins Publishers, c1993.
Description: xiv, 498 p.: ill.; 25 cm.
ISBN: 0060421630

Manheim, JB & Rich, RC. Empirical political analysis: research methods in political science. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: White Plains, N.Y: Longman, c1995.
Edition: 4th ed.
Description: xiii, 465 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN: 0801313074

Miller, R. Fact and method: explanation, confirmation and reality in the natural and the social sciences. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, c1987.
ISBN: 069107318X

Mouton, J & Marais, HC. Basic concepts in the methodology of the social sciences. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 1990.
Edition: Rev. ed.
Description: xiii, 269 p.: ill.; 22 cm.
Series: HSRC series in methodology.
Contents: Part 1: Chapter 1 - What is social sciences research? Introduction: The scientific language game; Chapter 2 - Research design: Towards problem formulation. Introduction: Social sciences research as a rational activity; Chapter 3 - Research design: Conceptualization and operationalization; Chapter 4 - Research design: data collection; Chapter 5 - Research design: Analysis and interpretation; Chapter 6 - Central concepts in the research process: Concepts, statements, Conceptual frameworks, Paradigms; Chapter 7 - Perspectives on qualitative and quantitative research: The spectrum of the social sciences, Terminology, Science and research; Part 2: Chapter 8 - Guidelines for writing a research proposal: How to write a research proposal, Types of research proposals, Form and content of research proposals; Chapter 9 - Guidelines for writing research reports: Theoretical guidelines, metatheoretical guidelines, Technical guidelines; Appendix 1: M Ferreira - A sociological analysis of medical encounters of aged persons at an outpatient centre: A qualitative approach; Appendix 2: D Joubert - A typology of value orientations; Appendix 3: KF Mauer and AC Lawrence - Human factors in stope productivity - A field experiment.

Mouton, J. Understanding social research.(Level: Honours)
Publisher: Pretoria: Van Schaik Academic, 1996.
Edition: 1st ed.
Description: xiii, 272 p.
ISBN: 0627021638 (pbk.)

Norusis, MJ. SPSS: SPSS 6.1 guide to data analysis. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1996
Description: xviii, 582 p.: ill.
ISBN: 0134370546 (pbk)

Scott, GM & Garrison, SM. The political science student writer's manual. (Level: Masters)
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall, c1995.
Description: xvi, 302 p.: ill.; 24 cm.
ISBN: 0130606340 (pbk.)

Smith, BL et al. Political research methods: foundations and techniques. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Boston: Houghton Mifflin, c1976.
ISBN: 0395203635

Wessels, JS & Pauw, JC (Eds). Reflective public administration: views from the South. (Level: 4th year)
Publisher: Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 1999
Description: vi, 504 p.
ISBN: 0195715047

White, LG. Political analysis: technique and practice. (Level: Honours)
Publisher: Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, 1990.
Edition: 2nd ed.
Description: 421 p.
ISBN: 0-534-12624-3.

[Note: "level" indicates the level at which the text is being used by the methodology teacher/s who submitted the information]