Research - PDF ebook

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This book may be used either as something to refer to when faced with the challenge of conducting research; or as something to read from beginning to end in order to gain a broad overview of how you can systematically investigate something which you need to learn more about. It is a valuable reference for anyone studying research methods, and a useful tool for developing a holistic, balanced perspective on making decisions about how, where and why to conduct research.

The methods used to conduct research may vary greatly, depending upon what is being researched and what you need to know about the subject being researched. Research may be “behavioural” in nature. Behavioural research aims to determine how people, animals or something else behaves under different circumstances. Other research might focus on something quite different to behaviour; for example -trying to discover the composition or mature of something, or how to make something.

Contents:

CHAPTER 1 WHY WE DO RESEARCH

What is Research
Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed methods research
Reliability and Validity in Research
Using Case Studies

CHAPTER 2 DESIGNING RESEARCH – RATIONALE, AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESIS

What Is a Rationale
Defining Aims
Research Objectives
The Hypothesis
Types of Hypothesis

CHAPTER 3 DESIGNING RESEARCH – CONDUCTING LITERATURE REVIEWS

Importance of Literature Reviews
Conducting a Literature Review
Bias in Literature Reviews
Writing a Literature Review
Different Types of Literature Review

CHAPTER 4 DESIGNING RESEARCH - DATA COLLECTION

Primary And Secondary Data
Simulation Experiments
Selecting Participants
Types of Samples 
Why do we need samples
Experimental Designs
Independent measures
Repeated measures
Matched Pairs Design
Ethics Committees
Psychology
Horticulture and Agriculture
Scientific Responsibility
Animal Research
Action Research Vs Design-Based Research
Data Collection
Ontology, Epistemology, Axiology, Research Paradigm
Qualitative Research Methods
Mixed Methods Design

CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS

Using Statistics – Why Are Statistics Important
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
Continuous and Discrete Data
Variance
Advanced Statistics
ANOVA
Describing Results in Written Form
Qualitative Data Analysis

CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Describing Your Findings
Ethical Issues
Evaluating Work
Access To Information

CHAPTER 7 LEGAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH

Intellectual Property
Legal Issues
Who owns I.P.
Collaboration, Commercialisation, other issues
Trademarks & Patents