Research Methodologies

The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, Second Edition provides students and researchers with the most comprehensive resource covering core methods, research designs, and data collection, management, and analysis issues. This thoroughly revised edition continues to place critical emphasis on finding the tools that best fit the research question given the constraints of deadlines, budget, and available staff. Each chapter offers key guidance on how to make intelligent and conscious tradeoffs so that one can refine and hone the research question as new knowledge is gained, unanticipated obstacles are encountered, or contextual shifts take place - all key elements in the iterative nature of applied research.

"The eagerly anticipated Fourth Edition of the title that pioneered the comparison of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research design is here! For all three approaches, Creswell includes a preliminary consideration of philosophical assumptions, a review of the literature, an assessment of the use of theory in research approaches, and reflections about the importance of writing and ethics in scholarly inquiry. He also presents the key elements of the research process, giving specific attention to each approach. The Fourth Edition includes extensively revised mixed methods coverage, increased coverage of ethical issues in research, and an expanded emphasis on worldview perspectives."--Publishers description.

Patten's overview of research methods is very thorough for the beginning researcher.

This book emphasizes how to code your data in order to analyze it.

Discusses a wide range of analytic approaches to qualitative data.

This DVD on qualitative research methods in the social sciences is presented in 4 chapters. After stating that social science research is based on studying others so that we can better understand ourselves, the video shows how researchers can construct a symbolic world to explore individual and collective meanings to determine what motivates human behavior and how individuals relate to each other in their environment. Experts Charlton McIlwain, JoEllen Fisherkeller, Erich Dietrich, and Rodney Benson explain this, as well as how this research is used by the media, advertising corporations and governments in their efforts to influence people and their behavior.

This DVD on quantitative research methods in the social sciences is broken down into 6 segments. The video discusses how social scientists study how and why people do what they do by looking at cause, effect and mitigating factors that relate to cause and effect. Experts explain this and how governments, advertising agencies and social scientists both conduct and use these studies.

With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader's Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods (two volumes) presents state-of-the-art information and ready-to-use techniques, facts, and examples from the field of qualitative methods in a non-intimidating and accessible style. The encyclopedia is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of information across the social sciences, humanities, and health sciences. From A to Z, the entries cover every major facet of qualitative methods, from gaining access to research participants, to data coding and collection, to research ethics, to the detailed aspects of specific qualitative methods, and much more all without overwhelming the informed reader.

Our three-volume Encyclopedia of Research Design elucidates how one makes decisions about research design, interprets data and draws valid inferences, undertakes research projects in an ethical manner, and evaluates experimental design strategies and results. From A-to-Z, this work covers the spectrum of research design strategies and topics including, among other things: fundamental research design principles, ethics in the research process, quantitative versus qualitative and mixed-method designs, completely randomized designs, multiple comparison tests, diagnosing agreement between data and models, fundamental assumptions in analysis of variance, factorial treatment designs, complete and incomplete block designs, Latin square and related designs, hierarchical designs, response surface designs, split-plot designs, repeated measures designs, crossover designs, analysis of covariance, statistical software packages, and much more.