From sampling to questionnaire design to data analysis, Fowler′s basic introduction to survey research methods covers the spectrum of data collection procedures used in social surveys. He looks at the options available to the researcher, discusses standards for good practice, examines the decisions to be made in designing a survey, and identifies sources of error in survey research. He demonstrates how each aspect of a survey can affect its accuracy and credibility, and confronts the practical problems of survey research, exploring the theoretical and methodological issues at stake. This revised edition also features a new chapter on data entry options, including computer-assisted telephone interviewing.
Floyd J. Fowler, Jr. is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received a PhD from the University of Michigan in 1966. A Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston since 1971, he was Director of the Center for 14 years. Dr. Fowler is the author or co-author of four textbooks on survey methods, including
Survey Research Methods, Improving Survey Questions, Standardized Survey Interviewing (with Mangione), and
Survey Methodology (with Groves, Couper, Lepkowski, et. al), as well as numerous research papers and monographs. His recent work has focused on studies of question design and evaluation techniques and applying survey methods to studies of medical care.