Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-249) and index.
Introduction: the role of numbers in research -- Finding secondary data: the 'idle' researcher -- Simple analysis?: index wars and other battles -- Sampling: the basis of all research -- Surveying the field: questionnaire design -- Simple non-parametric statistics: minding your table manners -- Research claims: modelling the social world -- Experimental approaches: a return to the gold standard? -- Elementary parametric tests: what do they signify? -- Progress via regression: introducing correlations -- Combining approaches: a 'compleat' researcher.