An Introduction to Research, Analysis, and Writing
Practical Skills for Social Science Students
- Bruce Oliver Newsome - University of California, Berkeley, USA
© 2016 | 376 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
This accessible guide walks readers through the process of completing a social science research project. Written specifically to meet the needs of undergraduate research classes, it introduces students to a complete skill set, including: planning, design, analysis, argumentation, criticizing theories, building theories, modeling theories, choosing methods, gathering data, presenting evidence, and writing the final product. Students can use this text as a practical resource to navigate through each stage of the process, including choices between more advanced research techniques.
1. The Way Ahead
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Goals of This Book |
Preview of the Rest of the Book |
Chapter Summary |
2. Research Process
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
What is Research? |
What are the Objectives and Products of Research? |
What are the Approaches to Research? |
Project Life Cycle |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
3. Research Ethics and Laws
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
What are Ethics? |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
4. Scoping, Justifying, Designing, Planning
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Scoping |
The Value of Your Research |
Feasibility |
Developing a Research Question |
Describing, Justifying, Planning, and Proposing the Research |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
5. Reading and Reviewing
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Sources |
How to Read Efficiently |
Content Analysis |
Reviews |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
6. Analysis
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
What is Analysis? |
Why Do We Analyze? |
How are We Told to Analyze? |
How Should We Analyze? |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
7. Arguing and Explaining
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Definitions |
Logical Arguments |
True Arguments |
Strong Versus Weak Arguments |
Fallacious Arguments |
Biases |
Dialectic Arguments |
Describing and Critiquing Arguments |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
8. Theorizing and Modeling
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Theories |
Hypotheses |
Models |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
9. Methods
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Methods and Methodologies |
Historical Research |
Case Study |
Survey Research |
Direct Observation in the Field |
Experimental Research |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
10. Evidence and Data
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Observations and Data |
Operationalization |
Measurement |
Classifying Data |
Datasets |
Uses of Data |
Evidence |
Causality and Correlation |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
11. Writing
Learning Objectives and Outcomes |
Opening Vignette |
Planning the Writing of Your Whole Product |
Style |
Structure |
Chapter Summary |
Questions and Exercises |
Supplements
Instructor Teaching Site
Password-protected Instructor Resources: Editable, chapter-specific Microsoft® PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course.
It is a nice general overview of key concepts related to academic research.
Sch Of Communication Arts, Buena Vista University
March 31, 2016