This is an amazing and adventurous book with wide coverage of core issues in the research methods that are commonly used in many social sciences. The coverage is in-depth and of world-class quality. The examples used are fascinating and perhaps reflect the origins of some authors outside academia, ranging from general practitioner to counsellor and photographer. I was very impressed with the deep analysis of the philosophy of science which was presented in a useful way. Simple topics like sampling and testing hypotheses are covered in highly readable manner. Complex topics like discourse analysis are made easy through the use of short examples based on real-life interviews. The coverage of qualitative methods in a series of chapters is conveniently presented. Each chapter can be read independently. Some other chapters have been moved to an online free access mode, while new chapters have also been added for this edition. The links to online resources are extremely convenient and there are exercises and questions for review with each chapter. The book is highly enjoyable and, through the collaboration of its authors, offers much more value for money than the reader expectsWendy Olsen Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester An updated and expanded version of an excellent collection of insightful essays by experienced researchers which will be of value not only to those new to research, but also for those more experienced in its practiceTim May Director, Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures, University of Salford

Clive Seale has been Professor of Sociology (or Medical Sociology) at Goldsmiths and Queen Mary's (both University of London) and Brunel University. His work has concerned communication in health care and death in modern society. He has published extensively on research methods. His books include Constructing Death: the sociology of dying and bereavement (Cambridge University Press, 1998), The Quality of Qualitative Research (Sage, 1999), Media and Health (Sage, 2003) and Gender and the Language of Illness (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010, with Jonathan Charteris-Black). Recently, he has turned to fiction, publishing a novel, Interrogating Ellie (Cloiff Books, 2015) using the pen name Julian Gray. He is currently writing another novel.