The module will introduce students to the theory and philosophy of social research and different research methodologies as applicable to an applied policy and practice context. Research design, including the development of a research proposal, choice of methodology and methods, access and ethical considerations and the research process will be included. The students will be introduced to a range of research resources, the development of a bibliography and the critical evaluation of literature and research. Different methods of data collection, to address applied research questions including questionnaires, interviews, documentary and secondary sources and observation and their strengths and limitations will be presented and different approaches to working with, analysing and presenting social research data will be introduced. The use of software packages, SPSS and Nvivo will be discussed and students will be encouraged (but not required) to attend training sessions on these packages.