Unexpected Turns in Social Research

Research rarely goes to plan.

Rather than presenting tidy methods and seamless projects, Unexpected Turns in Social Research explores what happens when researchers meet the inherent unpredictability of social life—where setbacks, mistakes, and dilemmas are not failures, but part of every research encounter.

Drawing on candid accounts from experienced researchers across a wide range of fields, the book brings together 10 chapter-length reflections and 7 rich case studies. These contributions explore the challenges that actually arise in research practice: ethical dilemmas that surface mid-project, participants who resist expected roles, field sites that shift over time, data that demand theoretical rethinking, and moments that feel risky, uncomfortable, or unsettling.

Rather than treating these disruptions as problems to fix or hide, this book shows how they can spark methodological innovation, fresh theoretical insight, and more honest reflection on what researchers really do. Written in a readable and accessible style, Unexpected Turns in Social Research is a current and relevant resource for anyone navigating research that looks far messier than textbook examples — but far closer to reality.

Kahryn Hughes is Professor of Sociology at the University of Leeds. Her current roles include as the Director of the Timescapes Archive, Senior Fellow of National Centre for Research Methods, and Co-Lead of the Horizons Network on Time. Kahryn has expertise in qualitative longitudinal methods and is an international leader in developing methods of Qualitative Secondary Analysis. Her research has focused on lifecourse and intergenerational trajectories of people through place-based poverty, with an especial focus on their family relationships. A recent publication Her methodological expertise has informed a recent study which has sought to capture young peoples’ e-cigarette use longitudinally through the multiple substance landscapes that confront young people in the UK. She is currently developing research exploring appropriate strategies for researching with transient families in the UK. Anna Tarrant is Professor of Sociology at the University of Lincoln, where she has established the Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research (CIFFR) and has led a Future Leaders Fellowship study called Following Young Fathers Further. Anna has pioneered research with marginalised men and communities that has explored the dynamic and complex relationship between fathering, poverty, and social welfare. This has led to her latest focus on father-inclusion, a sensitising concept designed to guide systems change and alternative service design across the breadth of sectors whose remit is to engage and support families. She has also refined innovative methodologies including qualitative secondary analysis and longitudinal co-creation to foster evidence-based transformations through research processes.   Jason Hughes is Professor of Sociology in the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leicester. Jason is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science, a Member of the European Academy, Academia Europaea, a Member of the Board of the Norbert Elias Foundation, Amsterdam, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His recent research has focused on problematised consumption (e.g. vaping, smoking, social media) particularly by young people, and he has published widely relating to these and other sociological topics. He is currently researching the lay pharmaceutical use of psychedelics (e.g. via microdosing). Grace Sykes is Programme Director and Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leicester. She is enthusiastic about most things, but her research and teaching interests focus broadly on the lives of young people and university students, with particular emphasis on education and health related transitions and risk/risky behaviour. She has a genuine passion for participatory qualitative research and developing visual/creative methods with young people. Most recently she has been involved in research for Cancer Research UK and Wellcome Trust. Grace is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.