Doing Research on Sensitive TopicsSAGE, 1993 M03 16 - 240 pages This book is a comprehensive guide to the methodological, ethical and practical issues involved in undertaking research on sensitive topics. Raymond M Lee explores the reasons why social research may be politically or socially contentious: its relation to issues of social or political power; its capacity to encroach on people's lives; and its potentially problematic nature for the researcher. Issues examined include: the choice of methodologies for sensitive research; problems of estimating the size of hidden populations; questions of sampling, surveying and interviewing; and sensitivity in access and the handling of data. The book also discusses the political and ethical issues at stake in the relations between the researcher and the researched, and in the disclosure, dissemination and publication of research. |
Contents
Limits on Inquiry | 18 |
Estimating the Size of Hidden Populations | 44 |
Sampling Rare or Deviant Populations | 60 |
Asking Sensitive Questions on Surveys | 75 |
Interviewing | 97 |
The Access Process in Research on Sensitive Topics | 119 |
Covert Adversarial and Collaborative Research | 142 |
Handling Sensitive Data | 164 |
Disclosure and Dissemination in Research | 184 |
Conclusion | 207 |
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Common terms and phrases
activities Adler areas argues Becker Boruch and Cecil Bradburn and Sudman Brajuha Brannen Chesler child sexual abuse confidentiality conflict methodology context controversy covert research crime data protection deviant difficulties disclosure drug élite estimates ethical example field research fieldwork Finch funding gatekeepers groups identifiers individuals informed consent interview investigative involved issues kind Laslett and Rapoport Lehmann and Young libel Marx methodological methods nominative technique Northern Ireland organization participant observation particular political population possible potentially pre-coded problems procedures produce published qualitative research R.M. Lee randomized response records relations relationship relatively research on sensitive research participants researcher's respondents result role self-censorship sensitive questions sensitive topics setting Sieber situations snowball sampling social research social science social scientists sociologists sociology spiral of silence statistics strategies subpoena Sudman and Bradburn suggest survey research threatening underground economy vignettes white flight writers
Popular passages
Page 220 - Proposal for a Council Directive concerning the Protection of Individuals in relation to the Processing of Personal Data (COM(90)314 final - SYN 287, OJ C 277, 5.11.1990).