Doing your research project : a guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science

An invaluable tool for anyone carrying out a research project We all learn to do research by actually doing it, but a great deal of time and effort can be wasted and goodwill dissipated by inadequate preparation. This book provides beginner researchers with the tools to do the job, to help them avoid some of the pitfalls and time-wasting false trails, and to establish good research habits. It takes researchers from the stage of choosing a topic through to the production of a well-planned, methodologically sound, and well-written final report or thesis on time. It is written in plain English and makes no assumptions about previous knowledge. This new edition of Doing Your Research Project includes: Coverage of latest techniques such as grounded theory A new chapter on ethics Increased examples from health studies New referencing, library searching, and literature review chapters Completely updated references throughout This book serves as a guide to good practice for beginner researchers in any discipline embarking on undergraduate or postgraduate study, and for professionals in such fields as social science, education, and health. Judith Bell holds the post of special professor in the School of Continuing Education at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. "We all learn to do research by actually doing it, but a great deal of time and effort can be wasted and goodwill lost by inadequate preparation. This book provides first-time researchers with the tools they need to establish good research habits and avoid some of the pitfalls and time-wasting false trails. It takes researchers from the stage of choosing a topic through to the production of a well-planned, methodologically sound, and well-written final report or thesis. It is written in plain English and makes no assumptions about previous knowledge." "This book is a guide to good practice for beginner researchers in any discipline embarking on undergraduate or postgraduate study, and for professionals in fields such as social science, education and health."--Jacket Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Preface 12 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction 18 Part I 22 Chapter 01 24 Chapter 02 45 Chapter 03 60 Chapter 04 78 Chapter 05 96 Chapter 06 116 Part II 130 Introduction 132 Chapter 07 139 Chapter 08 153 Chapter 09 173 Chapter 10 190 Chapter 11 201 Part III 216 Introduction 218 Chapter 12 220 Chapter 13 248 Postscript 266 References 268 Index 278 Previous ed.: Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999.