The book explores methodological approaches in three key areas - personal life and relationships; places and mobilities, and socio-cultural change. These work as vehicles to expound methodological issues and challenges that are relevant across a much wider range of domains.

Understanding Social Research brings together leading researchers in the social sciences - including sociology, health, geography, psychology and social statistics - to elaborate their approach to research design and practice, based on their own research experience, and to consider what kinds of knowledge their methods can produce. Each of the contributing authors reflects on their own methods and identifies what is distinctive about them. The book contains fascinating insights into how the knowledge we produce is shaped by the methods we choose and use.