Library Research

The following are listings of information are considered essential to describing the presence and progress of the Gospel, and the conditions of society. These data should be available to the Body of Christ in the nation and beyond. The following describes information that needs to be maintained at the national level for the country, people groups, rural and urban areas-for both, the harvest force and harvest field. The listings that follow do not comprise a complete listing but do include many or most of the essential variables for a reference data base.

An early phase of any research project is library research. A researcher will want to determine what information already exists about the subject under investigation. Sometimes this is called a "Survey of the Literature."

Here are some books that should be in a researcher's library:
Pamela L-Shreck, Robert B. Settle, The Survey Research Handbook. Irwin, 1995. $50 - hardback, $45 - paper. (Available used through alibris.com

Earl Babbie, The Practice of Social Research. (Non-Info Track Version). Wadsworth Publishing Co.,2000. $75.95 (Older editions available used through alibris.com and Amazon.com)