The long-awaited 2nd edition of this best-selling research methods handbook is fully updated and includes brand new coverage of online research methods and techniques, mixed methodology and qualitative analysis.
This edition includes two new contributed chapters: Professor Julie McLeod, Sue Childs and Elizabeth Lomas focus on research data management, applying evidence from the recent JISC funded 'DATUM' project; Dr Andrew Shenton examines strategies for analysing existing documents.
The first to focus entirely on the needs of the information and communications community, this handbook guides the would-be researcher through the variety of possibilities open to them under the heading 'research' and provides students with the confidence to embark on their dissertations. The focus here is on the 'doing' and although the philosophy and theory of research is explored to provide context, this is essentially a practical exploration of the whole research process with each chapter fully supported by examples and exercises tried and tested over a whole teaching career.
Readership: Students of information and communications studies and archives and records management, and practitioners beginning a piece of research.
PART 1: STARTING THE RESEARCH PROCESS1. Major research paradigms
Introduction
Positivist research
Postpositivism and mixed methods research (MMR)
Interpretivist research
Qualitative or quantitative methodology?
Qualitative research design
Quantitative research design
Mixed methods research
Criteria for judging research
Establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research
Establishing rigour in quantitative research
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
2. Reviewing literature
Introduction
Information searching and retrieval
Evaluation
Critical analysis
Synthesizing the research: developing a theoretical framework
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
3. Defining the research
Introduction
Designing a conceptual framework
The research hypothesis
Research aims and objectives
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
4. The research proposal
Why write a proposal?
Structure of a research proposal
The proposal as a research framework
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
5. Sampling
Why sample?
Population and sample
Probability sampling
Purposive sampling
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
6. Research Data Management - Julie McLeod, Sue Childs and Elizabeth Lomas
Introduction - research data and its management challenges
Why is research data management important?
The research process, data lifecycles and research data management
How do I manage my research data?
Summary
Practical exercise
Websites referred to in this chapter
Suggested further reading
7. Ethics in research
Introduction
Gaining access to the field
Informed consent
Anonymity or confidentiality?
Protecting participants
Ethics online
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
8. Case studies
Introduction
Phases in case study research
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
9. Surveys
Introduction
Descriptive surveys
Explanatory surveys
The survey process
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
10. Experimental research
Introduction
The nature of causality
The true experiment
Quasi-experimental design: the 'effects study'
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
11. Usability testing
Introduction
Quasi-experimental usability studies
Cognitive walkthroughs
Heuristic evaluation
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
12. Ethnography
Introduction
Components of ethnographic study
Virtual ethnography - 'netnography'
Ethics in ethnography
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
13. Delphi study
Introduction
The Delphi process
Rules of a Delphi study
Modifying a Delphi study
Delphi studies and new technologies
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
14. Action research
Introduction
The action research cycle
Trustworthiness in action research
Action research as reflective practice
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
15. Historical research
Introduction
The research process
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
16. Grounded theory: method or analysis?
Introduction
Defining grounded theory
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
PART 3: DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES
17. Interviews
Introduction
What is the purpose of an interview?
The seven stages of the interview process
Online interviewing
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
18. Questionnaires
Introduction
Designing questionnaires
Developing questions
Scale items
Forms of questionnaire
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
19. Observation
Introduction
The role of the observer
Recording what you see; going in with signposts
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
20. Diaries
Introduction
The purpose of diaries in research
Participant diaries
The researcher's log
Structure and recording
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
21. Focus groups
Introduction
Purpose of a focus group
Organizing a focus group
Online focus groups
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
22. Analysis of existing, externally created material - Andrew K. Shenton
Introduction
The different supporting roles of documents
LIS research principally based on documents
Citation analysis
Logs associated with computer software and the use of ICT
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
PART 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH PRESENTATION23. Qualitative analysis
Introduction
Phenomenological strategies
Ethnographic methods
Narrative and discourse analysis
Constant comparative analysis
Memo writing
Presenting qualitative findings
Software for qualitative analysis
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
24. Quantitative analysis
Introduction
Levels of measurement
Frequency distribution
Cross-tabulation
Measures of central tendency
Measures of dispersion
Correlation
Displaying data
Testing for statistical significance
Software for quantitative analysis
Summary
Practical exercise
Suggested further reading
25. Presenting the research
Introduction
Planning the final report
Form and structure
Summary
Suggested further reading
PART 5: GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES
Glossary of research terms
References
