Ignore a number of the reviews below. Some 'reviewers' seem to have a problem with it being dull. Well, here's a suggestion: if you don't want to read academic textbooks, maybe a university degree isn't for you.
This is a great book, I use it all the time. It offers an invaluable insight into social research techniques, and covers all the basics.  

This is a nice book to be used in research, i have gained a lot through brousing some of the papers in this book

great book studying sociology

This is a very good book in explaining how to determine your unit of analysis for your own research

Review: The Practice of Social Research

A competent, but rather dull social science research text. Pretty much what you would expect, which for a research text is kind of boring. Read full review

Review: The Practice of Social Research

Research Methods Summer 2011

Review: The Practice of Social Research

The book is very valuable indeed for students and teachers as well as for researchers for grasping the very essence of social research. It is read at one breath and inspires one for further thinking ... Read full review

Review: The Practice of Social Research

Selling back. Not something necessary for my professional collection. Read full review

Review: The Practice of Social Research

Gross and unhelpful. Read full review

Review: The Practice of Social Research

The semester is nearly over, and so is me having to read any more of this book. There are some subject matters that I am not going to find interesting no matter how well they are written, so I do ... Read full review