Workplace bullying is increasingly being recognized as a serious problem in society today; it is
also a problem that can be difficult to define and evaluate accurately. Research in this area has been
hampered by lack of appropriate measurement techniques. Social scientists can play a key part in
tackling the phenomenon of workplace bullying by developing and applying a range of research
methods to capture its nature and incidence in a range of contexts. We review current methods of
research into the phenomenon of bullying in the workplace. We examine definitional issues,
including the type, frequency, and duration of bullying acts, and consider the role of values and
norms of the workplace culture in influencing perception and measurement of bullying behavior. We
distinguish methods that focus on: (a) inside perspectives on the experience of bullying (including
questionnaires and surveys, self-report through diary-keeping, personal accounts through interviews,
focus groups and critical incident technique, and projective techniques such as bubble dialogue); (b)
outside perspectives (including observational methods and peer nominations); (c) multi-method
approaches that integrate both inside and outside perspectives (including case studies). We suggest
that multi-method approaches may offer a useful way forward for researchers and for practitioners
anxious to assess and tackle the problem of bullying in their organizations.