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Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4LP.  \nA catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library  \nISBN-10: 0 335 21927 6 (pb) 0 335 21928 4 (hb)  \nISBN-13: 978 0 335 21927 8 (pb) 978 0 335 21928 4 (hb)  \nLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data CIP data applied for  \nTypeset by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk Printed in Poland by OZ Graf. S.A.  \n[www.polskabook.pl](www.polskabook.pl)  \nContents  \nList of figures ix  \nPreamble xi  \nAcknowledgements xiii  \nIntroduction 1  \nThe structure of this book: research design, data collection and data analysis 1  \nTaught degree projects: what they are, things to watch out for, and practical points 3  \nPhD second studies: what happens when your first study changes your plans 8  \nStrategies and principles: demonstrating excellence, exploring territory rather than trying to prove a hunch, avoiding trouble, and learning from the wise 10  \nChoosing a topic, or cups of coffee, easy pickings and blaming others 15  \nDepartments, systems and supervisors: how to behave like a professional, get a good reference, and avoid needless trouble 19  \n‘How do I get a good mark?’ – things that can send out the wrong signal, and how to avoid these 22  \nAcademic writing: why it’s different from other writing, and how to do it well 25  \nDoing a good project: summary 30  \n1 About research 31  \nResearch: introduction to the nature of research, and types of research 31  \nResearch questions, and the nature of evidence: deciding what type of question to ask, and how to handle the various types of answer 37  \nMud pits and how to avoid them: things that go wrong 42  \nIsms: necessary assumptions, dubious assumptions, and being caught in crossfire 45  \nSearching the literature: why, where, what for and how 48  \nResearch in society – agendas, context and the like: things we take for granted, and things that can cause you trouble 56  \n2 Research design 60  \nTypes of design: which to use and how to use them 60  \nSurveys and sampling 67  \nField experiments: doing research in the world 70  \nControlled experiments: changing things systematically and seeing what happens 73  \nSummary and technical terms 78  \n3 Generic advice 80  \nArranging a study: subjects, equipment, procedures, things to remember, things to beware 80  \nLocation and kit 86  \nHandling subjects 87  \nRecording 89  \n4 Data collection 93  \nData collection methods: the methods, and choosing and using the appropriate method 93  \nReports: getting respondents to talk about how things happen 100  \nObservation: watching what happens 109  \nCard sorts: getting respondents to categorise things 115  \nLaddering: unpacking the respondents’ concepts systematically 121  \nRepertory grids: a systematic representation for respondents’knowledge 130  \nInterviews: asking people questions 135  \nFace-to-face interactions with respondents: the nuts and bolts of asking questions 137  \nQuestionnaires: when to use","cbCaicDfOsMxtZI0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicDfOsMxtZI0","pdf",819863,254,"English","# Contents\n## Preamble\n## Acknowledgements\n## Introduction\n## The structure of this book: research design, data collection and data analysis\n## Taught degree projects: what they are, things to watch out for, and practical points\n## PhD second studies: what happens when your first study changes your plans\n## Strategies and principles\n## Choosing a topic\n## Departments, systems and supervisors\n## ‘How do I get a good mark?’\n## Academic writing\n## Doing a good project: summary\n# 1 About research\n## Research: introduction to the nature of research, and types of research\n## Research questions, and the nature of evidence\n## Mud pits and how to avoid them\n## Isms\n## Searching the literature\n## Research in society\n# 2 Research design\n## Types of design\n## Surveys and sampling\n## Field experiments\n## Controlled experiments\n## Summary and technical terms\n# 3 Generic advice\n## Arranging a study\n## Location and kit\n## Handling subjects\n## Recording\n# 4 Data collection\n## Data collection methods\n## Reports\n## Observation\n## Card sorts\n## Laddering\n## Repertory grids\n## Interviews\n## Face-to-face interactions with respondents\n## Questionnaires\n# 5 Data analysis\n## Content analysis\n## Discourse analysis\n## Knowledge representation\n## Statistics\n## Descriptive statistics\n## Measurement theory\n## Inferential statistics\n## Conclusion: the end game\n## Writing up\n## References and referencing\n## What next?\n# Bibliography\n# Glossary\n# Sources of quotations\n# Index","[{\"question\":\"What topics does this book cover in the research process?\",\"answer\":\"It covers research design, data collection methods, and data analysis, then explains how to write up results and use proper references. It also includes guidance on choosing topics, managing projects, and producing high-quality academic writing.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the book help readers choose what research questions to ask?\",\"answer\":\"It explains the nature of research questions and the types of evidence tied to different question formats. It also discusses handling different kinds of answers and avoiding common pitfalls in framing the study.\"},{\"question\":\"Which data analysis approaches are included?\",\"answer\":\"The book covers content analysis and discourse analysis, knowledge representation formats, and statistics including descriptive and inferential statistics. It also addresses measurement theory and the implications of different measurement types.\"}]","A Gentle Guide to Research Methods - Contents - Research Methods Book | PDF",1789770569,640]