ABSTRACT
Among the first issues most investigators confront in preparing to conduct a study concerns who or what to sample, and how that sample will be selected. That is true regardless of whether the investigator is planning to study individuals, organizations, metropolitan areas, or any other entity. In this chapter, we will examine the assumptions that underlie the selection of a sample, and discuss the diverse ways that samples are designed and executed. This chapter will also review the modes by which members of a sample, once selected, are questioned or observed: in person, by phone, mechanically, by mail, or via the Internet.
