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Evaluating Research
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Evaluating Research
Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research

Third Edition


April 2022 | 360 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The Third Edition of Evaluating Research by Francis C. Dane and Elliot Carhart provides students with the skills to read and evaluate research studies. Aimed at courses where it is more important for students to develop an understanding of methods, rather than conduct their own research, this book covers all aspects of reading social, behavioral, and health science research from the basics, such as the structure of reports and accessing research, as well as overviews of the main types of research methods. The authors emphasize critical reading skills to enable students to become experts in evaluating research, so students can decide whether to incorporate that research into their future professional activities. 

Each chapter includes an overview at the beginning and exercises at the end to reinforce the content learned. Starting from the basic principles of why we do research, the book moves readers through the practicalities of finding studies to the principles of the scientific method and how to break down and analyze research reports. New to the third edition, Understanding Checks placed throughout each chapter help students cement their learning. The organization of the book is now more logical, with a new chapter on accessing research up front and ending with a chapter on statistical analyses. New research examples throughout, including such topical examples as mindfulness, college attendance, and bias in healthcare, help students see the relevance of research in their lives.

 
Chapter 1: Introduction
 
Chapter 2: The Scientific Approach
 
Chapter 3: Reading a Research Report
 
Chapter 4: Accessing Research
 
Chapter 5: Sampling
 
Chapter 6: Measurement
 
Chapter 7: Experimental Research
 
Chapter 8: Non-Experimental Research
 
Chapter 9: Survey Research
 
Chapter 10: Qualitative Research
 
Chapter 11: Conceptual Overview of Statistical Analyses

Great resources, easy to read and implement

Dr Shon D Smith
Counseling Dept, North Carolina A&t State Univ
October 25, 2023

This is a great resource with general research knowledge related to "understanding the research process" in order to be the best consumer when reading research reports. The general approach allows for the instructor to easily incorporate content (discipline specific) into the text. I hesitated switching texts because this text has NO FACULTY resources. This made my prep of the course with a new text challenging. I am sure I have colleagues who will not even consider this adoption without such faculty provided resources, This is unfortunate.

Dr Neal Rosenburg
College Of Health Professions, Univ Of Detroit Mercy-McNichols
September 6, 2023

This book addresses an extensive range of research topics - I am using this often in the classroom and at times in my own research - a really well thought out text book!

Mrs Sarah Barton
School of Education and Sociology (EDSOC), Portsmouth University
July 13, 2023

Learners thought this book was a helpful introduction to research

Mrs Carole Tatham
Curriculum, Burnley College
July 6, 2023
Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

  • Understanding Checks throughout every chapter now help students cement their knowledge.
  • Marginal definitions reinforce key concepts and terminology.
  • A new chapter on Accessing Research provides students with the tools to access current research as well as how to operationalize and organize their readings.
  • Reorganized chapters now flow more logically, with archival research and content analysis being included within relevant method groups and ending with a chapter on statistical analyses.
  • An expanded chapter on Qualitative Research details these methods in more depth and adds varieties of methods like Narrative Inquiry and Content Analysis.
  • Latest information on research, including the Revised Common Rule and p-hacking, keeps students up-to-date

KEY FEATURES:

  • Coverage of every facet of evaluating research from key terms and concepts to communicating the final results.
  • Robust pedagogy includes chapter overviews, summaries, key terms, and application exercises to reinforce concepts and allows readers to check their understanding of the material.

The pedagogy of the Third Edition has been improved with the inclusion of Understanding Checks, which students can use to assess their readiness to move to the next section within chapters. The end-of-chapter exercises remain so students can consolidate their accomplishment of learning objectives at the chapter level. Also new are marginal definitions, brief reminders of the major terms so that students can easily look back a page or two should they need to refresh their understanding of a term. The glossary remains for those times when a more detailed refresher is desired.

The entire edition is focused more intentionally and explicitly on evidence-based practice, on critical thinking, and on dealing with common misperceptions about research. Throughout the book more recent examples of research have been added, but the classic references have not been removed for those interested in the more historical aspects of research methods.

The organization has been revised, too, for enhanced understanding. We have moved the discussion of ethics to the first chapter and tied ethical considerations more closely to consuming research. Accessing research articles has received its own chapter, and content analysis has been distributed to the non-experimental research chapter and the qualitative research chapter as appropriate. The qualitative chapter has been considerably expanded, as the non-experimental methods chapter.

For instructors

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