{"product_id":"evidence-9780226466378","title":"Evidence","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Howard S. Becker\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Univ. of Chicago Pr\u003cbr\u003e • Subject: Sociology and Anthropology\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Research\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHoward S. Becker is a master of his discipline. His reputation as a teacher, as well as a sociologist, is supported by his best-selling quartet of sociological guidebooks: \u003ci\u003eWriting for Social Scientists\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Tricks of the Trade\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Telling About Society\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWhat About Mozart? What About Murder?\u003c\/i\u003e It turns out that the master sociologist has yet one more trick up his sleeve--a fifth guidebook, \u003ci\u003eEvidence\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Becker has for seventy years been mulling over the problem of evidence. He argues that social scientists don't take questions about the usefulness of their data as evidence for their ideas seriously enough. For example, researchers have long used the occupation of a person's father as evidence of the family's social class, but studies have shown this to be a flawed measure--for one thing, a lot of people answer that question too vaguely to make the reasoning plausible. The book is filled with examples like this, and Becker uses them to expose a series of errors, suggesting ways to avoid them, or even to turn them into research topics in their own right. He argues strongly that because no data-gathering method produces totally reliable information, a big part of the research job consists of getting rid of error. Readers will find Becker's newest guidebook a valuable tool, useful for social scientists of every variety.","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45030467436695,"sku":"9780226466378","price":2344.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780226466378.webp?v=1769205734","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/evidence-9780226466378","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}