ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part start with the origins of research problems themselves. It explores the strategy of social enquiry: the sequence of decisions that have to be taken in any piece of research. The part determines the origins of research problems in the areas of social policy, social philosophy and substantive discipline-based theory. Traditionally, researchers have often used official statistics as the source of their insights into such social phenomena as suicide and crime. The part presents the design issues under the headings of experiments, surveys and 'investigations'. It provides an entirely different approach where design, data collection and data analysis all evolve as the research process unfolds. The part also argues for studies directed specifically at the organizational processes by which 'social facts' are established.
