A researcher needs facts to answer the research questions posed in a study. Such facts are often collected through primary research. Data collection is therefore an important stage in any research, irrespective of the methods employed. A poor sampling method poses significant challenges for the reliability, validity, and generalisability of the results (Saunders et al., 2016). It is therefore important for researchers to follow stringent and established guidelines to ensure that meaningful conclusions can be drawn from the study results. The extent to which researchers follow the scientific principles to select a sample is therefore an important consideration. Researchers usually adhere to a series of well-established steps when selecting representative samples (Hair et al., 2016; Sekaran and Bougie, 2016). These include: defining the target population; selecting the sampling frame; determining the sampling technique; determining the sample size; and executing the sampling plan. We have categorised the steps under three main themes, as illustrated in Figure 39.1. These steps are discussed below, drawing on examples from the tourism and hospitality literature.