In this volume, progressive experts survey recent trends in qualitative study, which relies on small sample groups and interview data to better represent the context and complexity of social work practice. Chapters address different approaches to qualitative inquiry, applications to essential areas of research and practice, integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, and epistemological issues.

This second edition brings even greater depth and relevance to social work qualitative research, including new material that tackles traditional research concerns, such as data quality, ethics, and epistemological stances, and updated techniques in data collection and analysis. To increase the usefulness for students and researchers, the editors have reorganized the text to present basic principles first and then their applications, and they have increased their focus on ethics, values, and theory. New and revised illustrative studies highlight more than ever the connection between effective research and improved social functioning among individuals and groups. The collection continues to feature scholars and practitioners who have shaped the social work research practice canon for more than twenty years, while also adding the innovative work of up-and-coming talent.
About the Author: Anne E. Fortune is professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York. She is the editor of Task-Centered Practice with Families and Groups, coeditor of Social Work Practice Research for the Twenty-first Century, and coauthor of Research in Social Work. She is past editor of The Journal of Social Work Education and of Social Work Research.

William J. Reid (1928-2003) was a professor at the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York, and founding editor of the National Association of Social Workers Press journal Social Work Research. He received the NASW Presidential Award for Excellence in Research and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research.

Robert L. Miller is an associate professor at the School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York. He explores the intersection of social work and public health, focusing on health disparities and structural inequalities related to health outcomes among African Americans.