The Practice of Qualitative Research provides students with a "hands-on" introduction to qualitative research methods through the use of in-depth examples and out-of-class exercises. Rather than separating theory from methods and presenting students with a laundry list of methods as so many texts do, authors Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber and Patricia Leavy provide readers with a holistic approach to research by tightly linking theory and methods throughout the book. The authors cover all the key mainstream qualitative methods, as well as a number of more unconventional ones such as oral history, visual and unobtrusive methods, and present an overview of mixed-methods approaches. As part of their discussion of the ethical issues underpinning all social research, the authors raise important issues concerning the problems and prospects novice researchers confront in researching human subjects.