How to do a Research Project: A Guide for Undergraduate Students / Edition 2 available in Paperback
How to do a Research Project: A Guide for Undergraduate Students / Edition 2
- ISBN-10:
- 1118691326
- ISBN-13:
- 9781118691328
- Pub. Date:
- 12/19/2016
- Publisher:
- Wiley
How to do a Research Project: A Guide for Undergraduate Students / Edition 2
Buy New
$54.01Buy Used
$28.41
-
SHIP THIS ITEM— Not Eligible for Free Shipping$28.41
-
SHIP THIS ITEM
Temporarily Out of Stock Online
Please check back later for updated availability.
-
Overview
Friendly and accessible, this fully-updated second edition includes a number of accompanying student support materials to aid students further. Closely integrated sets of end-of-chapter tasks covering all aspects of research projects from design to completion, as well as suggested further reading, enhance each chapter. A wide range of additional helpful materials relevant to particular subject areas is also available on the accompanying website at www.wiley.com/college/robson. This textbook is an invaluable resource for students in a wide range of disciplines and fields of study, particularly those planning to use social research methods or to carry out a library-based study, for their undergraduate research project.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781118691328 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 12/19/2016 |
| Edition description: | 2nd ed. |
| Pages: | 176 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Table of Contents
Preface ixAcknowledgements xiii
Introduction 1
Part I – Making Preparations 5
1 Preliminaries 9
Recognizing Realities 9
A serious warning 10
Making it Worthwhile 10
Considering Your Audience(s) 11
Individual or Group Research? 12
Types of group research 12
Support groups 13
Planning Your Project 14
Doing it 15
The Structure of the Book 15
End of Chapter Tasks 16
Further Reading 17
Chapter 1 Tasks 17
2 Using Social Research Methods 19
A Concern for the Truth 19
Different Purposes of Research 20
Description 21
Exploration 21
Explanation 21
Emancipation 21
Research Design 22
Flexible designs 23
Fixed designs 23
Qualitative and quantitative data collection 23
Demands on Researchers 23
Different Approaches to Doing Social Research 24
‘Library’ studies 32
Examples from Undergraduate Projects 32
Methods of Collecting Data 32
Examples from Undergraduate Projects 46
Using More Than One Method 53
Mixed Method Designs 53
Data Collection Methods Used in Different Approaches 54
Trustworthiness and Credibility 54
Reliability 54
Validity 56
Research Arguments 56
Further Reading 57
Chapter 2 Tasks 57
3 Developing Your Ideas 59
Selecting a Topic 59
Researching internet topics 62
Research topics to avoid 62
Replication research 62
From a Topic to Research Questions 63
From Research Questions to a Research Design 63
One research question or several? 65
Do I really need research questions? 65
Hypotheses 66
Developing the Design 67
Finding and Using Sources 67
Planning the search for sources 68
Key word searching 68
Internet searching 69
Library searching 70
Dealing with the sources 71
Getting an Overall Picture 73
Ethical Considerations 74
Formal ethical approval 75
Ethical committees 75
Avoiding the unethical 76
Moving beyond box-ticking 77
Confirming Your Choices 77
Further Reading 78
Chapter 3 Tasks 78
Part II – Doing It 81
4 Practicalities of Data Collection 83
Sampling and Sample Sizes 83
Representative samples 84
Non-probability samples 85
Laboratory Research 86
‘Subjects’ or ‘participants’? 86
Informed Consent 86
Gaining Access 89
Finding the place to carry out your project 90
Making the contact 90
Formal approval isn’t enough 91
Formal and informal contracts 93
Approaching participants 93
Getting on and getting out 95
Insider research 96
Pilots 97
Collecting the Data 98
What to Do if You Run into Difficulties or Out of Time 98
Further Reading 100
Chapter 4 Tasks 101
Part III – Making Something of It 105
5 Analysing and Interpreting Your Findings 107
What This Chapter Tries to Do 107
Preparing for Analysis 108
Quantitative (Numerical) Data 109
Categorical variables 109
Ordered categorical variables 110
Summarizing and displaying categorical data 111
Continuous variables 114
Calculating summary statistics with continuous variables 115
Calculating variability 116
Displaying continuous variables 117
Statistical tests and statistical significance 118
Effect sizes 118
Clinical significance 119
What test do I use? 119
Do I really need to use statistical tests? 121
Qualitative Data 122
Data reduction and organization 123
An example – the grounded theory approach to analysis 124
Using specialist computer packages for qualitative data analysis 125
Summary of qualitative data analysis 126
Interpretation – What is Going on Here? 126
Further Reading 129
Chapter 5 Tasks 130
6 Reporting the Findings 131
Planning and Drafting 132
Research Arguments 134
Claims 134
Reasons and evidence 135
Considering Your Audience(s) – Again 136
Avoiding Plagiarism 137
Professional Standards 138
Language matters 138
References 139
Abstracts and executive summaries 139
The First Full Draft 140
Revising and Polishing 140
The Final Version 141
Disseminating Your Findings 142
Oral presentations 142
Other types of publication 143
A Final Thought 143
Further Reading 144
Chapter 6 Tasks 144
References and Author Index 145
Subject Index 153
What People are Saying About This
"An excellent, succinct, comprehensive, one-stop resource. Students and tutors will appreciate the book's accessibility, clarity, ease of use and practical suggestions for how to conduct a well informed and rigorous research project. " —Saul Becker, Director of Research, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham
"As someone responsible for an honours thesis seminar in anthropology, where undergraduates are to undertake their own research projects, I found this newest contribution by Colin Robson to be of substantial value and special merit. Robson is keenly aware of the many difficulties encountered by students in making the transition from consumers to producers of knowledge. This work draws in readers with illuminating guidelines and it educates even those with an advanced knowledge in research methods. As usual, Robson is able to synthesize and present knowledge distilled not just from personal experience but also from his coverage of the vast methods literature. He does so in a manner that, far from overwhelming students, furnishes students with an invitation to undertake exciting projects in social research that will surely leave them with a lasting impression." –Dr Maximilian Forte, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia University
"Colin Robson has produced a practical guide for undergraduates conducting research projects. The text is clear and accessible and includes material on planning, conducting and writing-up projects. It will be a valuable guide for beginners." –Bob Burgess, University of Leicester
"Having just graduated, I wish this book had been available when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree. Research projects can be very daunting for undergraduate students when they are let loose on a project of their own in the third year. This book provides some handholding during these times with its very clear and logical structure... This book’s main purpose is to aid final-year undergraduate students, but it would also benefit levels one and two as it explains the basics of conducting research projects and general information, such as ethics and plagiarism in a clear and accessible way... This book levels the playing field of information so that all students have the same basis for their projects, e.g., a clear understanding of design and research types... Lecturers could use this book as a primer to save time explaining the basics, thereby allowing more time for expert guidance... How to Do a Research Project brings clarity, simplicity, and brevity to the methodology behind research projects. I suggest that higher-education institutions recommend this accessible and practical book to students as prerequisite reading where applicable." –Tamsin Shaw, University of Leeds (in 'Qualitative Research In Psychology')
"How to Do a Research Project...is a highly readable, engaging guide that provides the necessary technical detail minus the dryness. ... This volume...represents a comprehensive yet concise primer for anyone contemplating undertaking research. It is also a constructive resource for instructors and supervisors of student research. ... Drawing on his lengthy career in research and teaching, Robson interjects the mundane realities, potential pitfalls, and other considerations likely to arise during the research process. ... After reading the text in its entirety, students will find these handy reference tools [text boxes] useful to return to when conducting a live research project. ... Included also is a valuable section on searching, reviewing, and summarizing the literature that will be useful for students. ...for the novice or tentative researcher Robson's commonsense style of writing conveys an intuitive grasp of the process that brings the reader into the "feel" of the project, breaking the research process down into logical, manageable stages, which is empowering and encouraging, rather than presenting the process as a daunting one that can dissuade students. ... At a cost of $24.95 (US/Cdn) this book is accessible to students and it is not just another dry, dull research methods textbook." –Lynn Eldershaw, PhD, International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta (in International Journal of Qualitative Methods 6 (2) June 2007)