The author presents a three-step process for selecting participants for any study of a social phenomenon that occurs between people in locations and at times that are difficult to observe. The process is described with illustrative examples from a previous study of help giving in a community of learners. This paper includes a rationale for combining peer-reporting questionnaires with social network analysis to find the authorities among a community of pre-service teachers. Triangulation is recommended as a technique to verify results and ensure accurate findings from the questionnaires. Implications and limitations are provided to help facilitate a successful modification and adaptation to future studies.