Pursuing excellence in research requires much self-discipline. Mentors are often the first ones to instill basic habits, but any one mentor (or even any group of mentors) lacks the ability to teach how to think about research completely. Indeed, mastering the art of research is a lifelong task. Fortunately, books like Becker’s provide good, patient tutoring on the path of a career in research. He provides “tricks” that specifically address those in the social sciences throughout the whole process of research.

Becker divides his book into several large chapters, including imagery, sampling, concepts, and logic. These cover the whole of the research process for those in the social sciences. (Caveat: I do not work in the social sciences but in informatics; I am reading this book to communicate with colleagues better.) Topics move from observation to data collection to theory to rigorous, critical examination. They demystify how a researcher can transform mere experiences into widely accepted theory.

This book would be great for a class on research methods, especially those interested in how qualitative research works. By itself, this book is not as much of an introduction as something to build with after an introduction. It seems most suitable late in an introductory course or at any point in an advanced course. Or after an introduction, those interested in learning more but without access to appropriate teaching can also benefit from Becker’s clear, engaging prose.

Graduate students in the social sciences, in particular, will benefit from this book, but its specialized nature does not restrict it to this primary audience. Practitioners, teachers, and anyone else involved in data collection in the social sciences can hone their skills through Becker’s wisdom. Indeed, though published almost 25 years ago, this book offers mountains of timeless advice that could just spur one’s research skills to the next level. ( )