Book excerpt: Structural Equation Modeling offers a nontechnical presentation of SEM with an emphasis on applications in social and personality psychology. The presentation begins with a discussion of the relation between SEM and statistical strategies widely used in social and personality psychology such as analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis, and factor analysis. This introduction is followed by a nontechnical presentation of the terminology, notation, and steps followed in a typical application of SEM. The reminder of the volume offers a practically-oriented presentation of specific applications using examples typical of social and personality psychology and offering advice for dealing with relevant issues such as missing data, choice of software, and best practices for interpreting and reporting results. The SAGE Library in Social and Personality Psychology Methods provides students and researchers with an understanding of the methods and techniques essential to conducting cutting-edge research. Each volume within the Library explains a specific topic and has been written by an active scholar (or scholars) with expertise in that particular methodological domain. Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, the volumes are clear and accessible for all readers. In each volume, a topic is introduced, applications are discussed, and readers are led step by step through worked examples. In addition, advice about how to interpret and prepare results for publication are presented.