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A Three-Step Approach to Exploring Ambiguous Networks

The study of social networks has included an array of mixed methods research in recent years. More often than not, however, research design is not discussed in any great depth. This article discusses procedural issues relating to employing both social network analysis and qualitative methods in a whole network study of cross-community youth leaders in a particularly segregated area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. A compound, sequential, three-step research design was used where distinct research phases were employed to account for the realities of researching an ambiguous network. This article will highlight design issues that tend to be overlooked in network research and offer practical responses that can be of benefit to researchers facing similar challenges.