An essential companion for students across the social and health sciences, this text provides a wide-ranging coverage of qualitative methods complemented by extended illustration from the array of academic disciplines in which qualitative research is found and employed. Written in a lively and reader-friendly style, the guide covers a comprehensive range of topics, including: a concise definition of the method; a description of distinctive features; examples to convey the flavour of a technique or principle; a critical and reflective evaluation of the method or approach under consideration; cross references to associated concepts within the dictionary; and a list of key readings.