Setting the Scene

• Appropriate Research Methods
• 'Science' in the Social Sciences
• Design Decisions in Research
• Theory Development
• Social and Behavioral Theories

Describing How

• Sample Surveys
• Social Survey Data Collection
• Administrative Data Systems
• Observational Studies

Explaining Why

• Qualitative Methods
• Conversation Analysis
• Software and Qualitative Analysis

What Works

• Clinical Trials
• Cluster Unit Randomized Trials

Emerging Issues

• Ethical Challenges
• Multilevel Modeling
• Objective Measurement of Subjective Phenomena
• Measuring Socioeconomic Status
• Evaluating the Quality of Health Care
• Patient-Reported Outcomes