SAGE Reference - The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods

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Snowball Sampling

In: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
Edited by: Lisa M. Given
Subject:Qualitative Research

Snowball sampling uses a small pool of initial informants to nominate other participants who meet the eligibility criteria for a study. The name reflects an analogy to a snowball increasing in size as it rolls downhill.

This approach to locating research participants ...

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  Given, L. M. (2008). Snowball sampling. In The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (Vol. 1, pp. 816-816). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n425
  
  Given, Lisa M. "Snowball Sampling." In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, edited by Given, Lisa M., 816-816. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n425.
  
  Given, L. M. 2008. Snowball Sampling. In: Lisa M. Given Editor, 2008. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 816 Available at: <https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n425> [Accessed 23 May 2022].
  
  Given, Lisa M. "Snowball Sampling." The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. Edited by Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008, pp. 816-816. SAGE Knowledge. 23 May 2022, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n425.
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