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Bryman: Social Research Methods: 3e

Chapter 07

http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~kate/qmcweb/s2.htm
Alison Galloway is a lecturer in consumer behaviour and research methods at Queen Margaret University, Scotland.  This link shows her list of the five main types of probability sample, with criteria for their selection.  This page leads to full descriptions of each type and also provides a link to non-probability sampling, worth viewing in its own right.

http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
How big should your sample be? How long is a piece of string? If you fancy a bit of fun, take a look at this “sample size calculator”, which will estimate the size of sample you would need to make your results generalisable. The calculations are based on pre-determined confidence intervals and confidence levels, so this tool will only really be helpful if you are planning to subject the data to rigorous statistical analysis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprobability_sampling
Similarly, this page provides a useful overview of some of the techniques of non-probability sampling. It is an entry for Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, and as such it contains brief definitions of each sample type. “Judgement” or “purposive” samples are included here too, so you may want to read about this alternative strategy of selecting participants on the basis of their presumed suitability for the study.

http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/atssamperr.html
Here is an example of how sampling error can have a significant effect on research in the “real world”. It is a report from the US census bureau about the limitations of their Annual Trade Survey because of sampling error; it also contains some useful information about confidence intervals, standard error, and other statistically relevant concepts.

http://www.natcen.ac.uk/
The National Centre for Social Research maintains this website. By navigating through the tabs you will find short descriptions of their sampling and general research methods.  The “Our Publications” tab leads to short reports on major research studies undertaken and these are well worth reading. Each quantitative study makes a short statement of the probability sample drawn for that particular situation.