On Time and Method

On Time and Method is a systematic, detailed treatment of how temporal factors enter research methodology, how they can affect the outcomes and interpretations of those studies, and how attention to them can strengthen research practice. The authors discuss temporal factors inherent in causal inference and the assumptions researchers make about them, temporal factors involved in choosing and constructing research strategies and research designs, and finally temporal factors in measurement and manipulation of variables. Extended examples on how such factors can operate in actual research programmes are provided.

It is an excellent short introduction to issues of time, suitable for advanced undergraduate or graduate research methods course focusing on experimental and quasi-experimental designs. . . . An interesting introduction to the issues as seen by experimental social psychologists. . . . I′d recommend the book to any sociologists struggling with time-dependency issues. --Contemporary Sociology "This slim volume is rich in ideas which can be employed to clarify implicit and explicit theorising about time in sociological research methods. Similarly, used creatively and imaginatively, some of its considerations of experimental design and practice might be usefully transposed into the design and conduct of social surveys and field research." --The Journal of the British Sociological Association On Time and Method provides the first systematic, detailed examination of the impact of time on research methods. This original volume analyzes all the ways temporal factors can effect research results and interpretations, and explains how research can be strengthened by paying attention to such factors. This unique work first provides a theoretical base, laying out the interplay of temporal issues on the strategic, design, and operational levels of research. It then provides extended examples of the ways such factors operate in real-world research, and their consequences for such research programs. It closes with a collection of proven techniques and approaches which researchers can use to remove, reduce, or compensate for temporal effects. This cogent work provides valuable insights for all social scientists, and is essential reading for students of research methods.