How to Research

Half Title......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
List of boxes......Page 10
Introduction......Page 14
The first time researcher......Page 16
Getting a flavour of possibilities......Page 19
Why am I doing this research?......Page 23
Will I have anything new to say?......Page 25
In whose interests is this research?......Page 26
At last, writing up......Page 28
How to use this book......Page 29
What’s different about this edition?......Page 31
Exercises......Page 32
Further reading......Page 33
Introduction......Page 34
Choosing a topic......Page 35
What to do if you can’t think of a topic......Page 42
Focusing......Page 46
Finding and choosing your supervisor......Page 55
Individual and group research......Page 57
Researching in your workplace......Page 60
Keeping your research diary......Page 61
Exercises......Page 62
Further reading......Page 63
Introduction......Page 66
Everyday research skills......Page 67
Which method is best?......Page 71
Families, approaches and techniques......Page 74
Action research......Page 80
Case studies......Page 84
Experiments......Page 88
Surveys......Page 89
Which methods suit?......Page 92
Deciding about methods......Page 100
Exercises......Page 101
Further reading......Page 102
Introduction......Page 112
Why read?......Page 113
Coping with the research literature......Page 114
Basic reading strategies......Page 115
Using libraries......Page 119
Using the Internet......Page 122
Good enough reading......Page 126
Reading about method as well as subject......Page 131
Recording your reading......Page 133
The literature review......Page 135
Issues in reading......Page 138
Exercises......Page 142
Further reading......Page 143
Introduction......Page 145
Managing time......Page 146
Mapping your project......Page 148
Dealing with key figures and institutions......Page 150
Sharing responsibility......Page 154
Using computers......Page 158
Managing not to get demoralized when things do not go
as planned......Page 160
Exercises......Page 163
Further reading......Page 164
Introduction......Page 166
Access and ethical issues......Page 167
Sampling and selection......Page 176
Applying techniques for collecting data......Page 178
Documents......Page 180
Interviews......Page 185
Observations......Page 189
Questionnaires......Page 192
Recording your progress......Page 195
The ups and downs of data collection......Page 198
Exercises......Page 202
Further reading......Page 203
Introduction......Page 206
The shape of your data......Page 207
The nature of data......Page 209
Managing your data......Page 215
Computer-based data management and analysis......Page 217
The process of analysis......Page 219
Analysing documents......Page 220
Analysing interviews......Page 222
Analysing observations......Page 225
Analysing questionnaires......Page 227
Interpretation......Page 231
Exercises......Page 235
Further reading......Page 236
Introduction......Page 239
Drafting and re-drafting......Page 240
How to argue......Page 246
How to criticize......Page 250
Who am I writing for?......Page 252
Grammar, referencing and plagiarism......Page 257
Using tables, diagrams and other illustrations......Page 259
Panics......Page 261
Summary......Page 264
Further reading......Page 265
Introduction......Page 268
Planning to finish?......Page 269
The penultimate and final drafts......Page 270
Added extras......Page 273
The process of assessment......Page 275
What do I do now?......Page 281
Exercise......Page 284
Further reading......Page 285
References......Page 293
Index......Page 298