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Every month we will highlight a book chapter and journal article, which you can read, share and comment on. We'd like to hear from you if you have a particular book or journal article you rate - why not tell us how useful it is, or what else might be more useful.

Book of the month

Netnography
Robert V Kozinets
SAGE (2010)

With as many as 1 billion people now using online communities such as newsgroups, blogs, forums, social networking sites, podcasting, videocasting, photosharing communities, and virtual worlds, the internet is now an important site for research. This exciting new text is the first to explore the discipline of 'Netnography' - the conduct of ethnography over the internet - a method specifically designed to study cultures and communities online. For the first time, full procedural guidelines for the accurate and ethical conduct of ethnographic research online are set out, with detailed, step-by-step guidance to thoroughly introduce, explain, and illustrate the method to students and researchers.

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Journal article of the month

Statistical Models for Causation
(David A. Freedman)Evaluation Review 2001; 11; 522)
Experiments offer more reliable evidence on causation than observational studies, which is not to gainsay the contribution to knowledge from observation. Experiments should be analyzed as experiments, not as observational studies. A simple comparison of rates might be just the right tool, with little value added by "sophisticated" models. This article discusses current models for causation, as applied to experimental and observational data. The intention-totreat principle and the effect of treatment on the treated will also be discussed. Flaws in perprotocol and treatment-received estimates will be demonstrated.
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