Both Traditional Students & Working Professionals Acquire the Skills to Analyze Social Problems Big Data & Social Science A Practical Guide to Methods & Tools shows how to apply data science to real-world problems in both research & the practice The book provides practical guidance on combining methods & tools from computer science statistics & social science This concrete approach is illustrated throughout using an important national problem the quantitative study of innovation The text draws on the expertise of prominent leaders in statistics the social sciences data science & computer science to teach students how to use modern social science research principles as well as the best analytical & computational tools It uses a real-world challenge to introduce how these tools are used to identify & capture appropriate data apply data science models & tools to that data & recognize & respond to data errors & limitations For more information including sample chapters & news please visit the author's website