In Being Interdisciplinary, Alan Wilson draws on five decades as a leading figure in urban science to set out a systems approach to interdisciplinarity for those conducting research in this and other fields. He argues that most research is interdisciplinary at base, and that a systems perspective is particularly appropriate for collaboration because it fosters an outlook that sees beyond disciplines. There is a more subtle thread, too. A systems approach enables researchers to identify the game-changers of the past as a basis for thinking outside convention, for learning how to do something new and how to be ambitious, in a nutshell how to be creative. Ultimately, the ideas presented address how to do research.

Building on this systems focus, the book first establishes the basics of interdisciplinarity. Then, by drawing on the author’s experience of doing interdisciplinary research, and working from his personal toolkit, it offers general principles and a framework from which researchers can build their own interdisciplinary toolkit, with elements ranging from explorations of game-changers in research to superconcepts. In the last section, the book tackles questions of managing and organising research from individual to institutional scales.

Alan Wilson deploys his wide experience – researcher in urban science, university professor and vice-chancellor, civil servant and institute director – to build the narrative. While his experience in urban science provides the illustrations, the principles apply across many research fields.

Table of Contents:

Preface

Prologue: A Research Autobiography

Part I: Interdisciplinary Research: A systems Approach

• 1. Interdisciplinary research

• 2. Being interdisciplinary

Part II:  Doing Interdisciplinary Research

• 3. How to start

• 4. Establishing a research base-1: system models

• 5. Establishing a research base-2: data

• 6. Doing the research: different kinds of problem solving

Part III: Tricks of the trade

• 7. Adding to the toolkit: explorations

• 8. Adding to the toolkit-2: more on superconcepts

Part IV: Managing and Organising Research

• 9. Managing research, managing ourselves

• 10. Organising research

Bibliography

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Our textbook guides graduate social work students step by step through the research process from conceptualization to dissemination. We center cultural humility, information literacy, pragmatism, and ethics and values as core components of social work research.

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Introduction to research

•     1. Science and social work

•     2. Starting your research project

•     3. Searching the literature

•     4. Critical information literacy

•     5. Writing your literature review

Part 2: Conceptualizing your research project

• 6. Research ethics

• 7. Theory and paradigm

• 8. Reasoning and causality

• 9. Writing your research question

Part 3: Using quantitative methods

• 10. Quantitative sampling

• 11. Quantitative measurement

• 12. Survey design

• 13. Experimental design

• 14. Univariate analysis

• 15. Bivariate analysis

• 16. Reporting quantitative results

Part 4: Using qualitative methods

• 17. Qualitative data and sampling

• 18. Qualitative data collection

• 19. A survey of approaches to qualitative data analysis

• 20. Quality in qualitative studies: Rigor in research design

• 21. Qualitative research dissemination

• 22. A survey of qualitative designs

Part 5: Research in practice

• 23. Program evaluation

• 24. Sharing and consuming research

(See Also: https://opensocialwork.org/education/textbooks/ )

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This insightful open access book examines all aspects of the design process and implementation of questionnaire surveys on the activities of business, public sector, and non-profit organizations. Anthony Arundel discusses how different aspects of the survey method and planned statistical analysis can constrain question design, and how these issues can be effectively resolved.

Throughout this engaging yet practical book, Arundel promotes good practices for questionnaire design, sample construction, and survey delivery systems including online, postal, and verbal methods, with a focus on obtaining high-quality data in line with ethics and confidentiality requirements. Chapters include constructive advice on questionnaire design and testing, survey implementation, and data processing, analysis, and reporting, with examples of time and financial cost budgets. Considering the recent developments in survey methods, the book explores how to use web probing as a substitute for cognitive testing and examines the use of tablets and smartphones in answering questionnaires.

Contents page:

Front Matter

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgements

• Ch. 1: Introduction

• Ch. 2: Survey fundamentals

• Ch. 3: Questionnaire design

• Ch. 4: Questionnaire testing

• Ch. 5: Survey implementation

• Ch. 6: Data processing activities

• Ch. 7: Data analysis and reporting

• Ch. 8: Conclusion

Back Matter

References

Annexes

Index

Reviews:

• "This book by Anthony Arundel is a must read for researchers or practitioners that plan to conduct a survey. In a very understandable and insightful way, Arundel takes the reader through the intricacies of each step involved in designing and implementing a high quality survey, from questionnaire testing and design to sampling, data processing, and analysis."

-- Carter Bloch, CFA, Aarhus University, Denmark

• "Anthony Arundel has experience from decades of statistical measurement, survey design, management, and analysis of survey outcomes. He knows what works and what does not, and this guide provides the reader with valuable and accessible information. Anyone who needs to understand survey design, and results, should read this book."

-- Fred Gault, UNU-MERIT, the Netherlands and Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

• "This is a much-needed book. It provides a complete and detailed overview of all practical steps that are required for setting-up, executing, and analysing a survey of firms and other organizations. The clear and non-technical language makes the book highly accessible also to readers not experienced in survey techniques. Everyone planning to conduct a survey should consult this book."

-- Christian Rammer, Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Germany

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Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students introduces you to the components of the stand-alone literature review and prepares you to write one of your own. It is written for new graduate students and novice researchers just entering the work of their chosen discipline. It is meant to assist “students who can complete course assignments to scholars who can make a contribution to their respective fields.” [...] The book was written by two librarians with expertise guiding nursing and education graduate students through the literature review research and writing process. 

We include in the book examples from the literature of nursing and education to facilitate a greater understanding of what it means to be a successful graduate student. Our intent is to promote the idea that the literature review is a dynamic and complex synthesis of research and writing that is quite different than an annotated bibliography. 

Contents overview:

Chapter 1 provides an overview of literature reviews and their purpose. Chapters 2 and 3 relate to getting started with the review, including how to develop a research question or hypothesis.

Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the research process, that is, where to find relevant sources and how to evaluate their credibility.

Chapters 6 and 7 discuss how to document sources and, one of the most difficult tasks novice researchers face, how to synthesize information.

Chapter 8 is focused on writing your own literature review.

A short conclusion and an answer key to questions asked in previous chapters complete the text. Each chapter begins with a summary of learning objectives for that chapter and concludes with a set of questions to assess your understanding of the topics covered. Examples, tutorials, videos, additional resources, websites and/or activities are provided. Finally, at the end of each chapter you will find a list of works cited as well as image attributions.

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This textbook is written for the scientist and student researching the (expected) functioning of systems under specified conditions. As such, it represents an introduction to the use of modelling in natural, human and economical sciences.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section illustrates the universal nature of modelling as aid to the researcher. In the second section, several typical examples of modelling are described.

Contents (brief):

Preface

G.D. Jordaan, Laetus O.K. Lategan

Ch. 1: Principles of Modelling in Research and Design

G.D. Jordaan

Ch. 2: Models and Modelling for Science

Ulrich D Holzbaur

Ch. 3: Using Mathematical Modelling in Human and Economic Sciences

PG le Roux

Ch. 4: Models in the Mechatronic Design Process

Peter Hehenberger

Ch. 5: Mathematical Modelling as a Research Methodology

Zhongjie Huan

Ch. 6: Physical Modelling of Terrains and Structures

G.D. Jordaan, Sanat Agrawal

Ch. 7: Data Acquisition as a Research Procedure

Herman Vermaak

Ch. 8: Data Acquisition and Mathematical Modelling

Anna CM Bekker

Ch. 9: Numerical Modelling of the Performance of an Industrial Freezer

Tiyamike Ngonda

Ch. 10: Coupled Hydrological and Agent-based Modelling for the Understanding of Human-Environment Dynamics

Y.E. Woyessa, W.A. Welderufael

Ch. 11: Neural Network Model Prediction of Short-term Electrical Load Demand

Lucas Nigrini

Ch. 12: Examples of Modelling Used in Modern Research

G.D. Jordaan, Ulrich D Holzbaur

Reviews:

"The book covers topics mainly from engineering and the natural sciences, except for one chapter concerning human and economic sciences. ... The intended readership for the book are those who are interested in modelling as a research tool, but then only at a very general level. ... The book may be recommended to those who have a broad interest in modelling in research, who would like to get acquainted with some of the main related concepts and encounter some examples of applications. This is in line with the intention of the editors to provide a “modest” introduction to the area. Readers who require a more thorough and step by step guide will have to look elsewhere."

   -- J.C. Geertsema, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University.

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This open-access textbook is for those who want to write exemplary social research. It provides an extensive outline of each step of the research process: outlining practical tools for conceptualizing its beginnings, generating proposals, getting ethics approval, relaxing from the stresses of research, writing academically, conducting a literature review, drafting a methods section, collecting the right data, formulating the findings, and sharing the results. 

Woven throughout each chapter are testimonies of other students who have likewise persevered through the research process, relating their obstacles, solutions, and motivations to each stage of the research process to illuminate not only the technical goals of research, but also the emotional maturity that research entails.

Contents page:

Preface

Licensing Info

Book Reviews

Acknowledgements

Guide to the Manual

I. Generating and Developing Original Research Ideas

• 1. The First Research Question is About You

• 2. A Note on Reflexivity and Positionality

• 3. Relational Accountability

• 4. Finding the Right Question

• 5. Evaluating the Question

• 6. Summary

• 7. Worksheet - Surveying the Universe of Potential Topics

II. Developing a Research Proposal

• 8. Introduction: the Question

• 9. Components of a Research Proposal

• 10. Writing Abstracts

• 11. The Body of the Research Proposal

• 12. Timeline

• 13. Summary

• 14. Worksheet - Writing the Proposal

• 15. Additional Resources

III. Ethics Review

• 16. Introduction: Reviewing Your Ethics

• 17. Do You Need Institutional Ethics Approval?

• 18. Getting Approval

• 19. Walkthrough of Each Step

• 20. Summary

IV. Researching with Self-Care

• 21. Introduction: What is self-care?

• 22. Time Management

• 23. Rituals and Self-Care When Writing

• 24. Mindfulness

• 25. Working With a Supervisor

• 26. Peer Support

• 27. Imposter Syndrome

• 28. Summary

• 29. Additional Resources

V. Academic Writing

• 30. Introduction: Effective Academic Writing

• 31. The Basics

• 32. Many Genres, Many Masters

• 33. Eight More Tips For Every Analysis

• 34. Summary

• 35. Additional Resources

VI. The Literature Review

• 36. Introduction: Literature Reviews –Daunting but Clarifying

• 37. Demystifying the Literature Review

• 38. Conducting the Review

• 39. Assuring Proper Citation and Writing the Review

• 40. Summary

• 41. Worksheet - The Literature Review

• 42. Additional Resources

VII. Writing the Methods Section

• 43. Introduction: Why Methods?

• 44. Drafting the Methods Section

• 45. Summary

• 46. Worksheet - Writing the Methods Section

VIII. Data Collection

• 47. Introduction

• 48. Enhancing Data Quality and Overcoming Bad Data

• 49. Sampling

• 50. Collecting Primary Data

• 51. Collecting Secondary Data

• 52. Systematic Literature Reviews, Essays, and Theoretical Theses

• 53. Data Organization

• 54. Summary

• 55. Worksheet - Resolving Data Doubts

• 56. Additional Resources

IX. Qualitative Data Analysis

• 57. Introduction: Learning to Swim in the Data

• 58. Transcribing and Coding

• 59. Other Strategies of Qualitative Data Analysis

• 60. Presenting Your Findings

• 61. Mapping Data: It's All 'Storylining'

• 62. Summary

• 63. Worksheet - Qualitative Data Analysis

• 64. Additional Resources

X. Quantitative Data Analysis

• 65. Getting Started: Cleaning Data and Establishing Procedures

• 66. Secondary Data Analysis

• 67. Types of Quantitative Data Analysis and Presentation Format

• 68. Descriptive Statistics

• 69. Inferential Statistics

• 70. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

• 71. Student Testimonial: Data Visualizations with R

• 72. Correlations

• 73. Regressions

• 74. Drawing Conclusions From Your Data

• 75. Summary

• 76. Additional Resources

XI. Writing the Discussion and Conclusion

• 77. Introduction: Data Analyzed, What Now?

• 78. The Contents of the Discussion

• 79. Writing Your Conclusions

• 80. Summary

• 81. Worksheet - Discussing and Concluding

• 82. Additional Resources

XII. Presenting Your Research

• 83. Introduction: Speech!

• 84. Types of Conference Presentations

• 85. Applying to Conferences

• 86. Oral Presentations

• 87. Poster Presentations

• 88. Question Period

• 89. Summary

• 90. Additional Resources

XIII. Publishing Your Research

• 91. Introduction: Contemplating Publication

• 92. Understanding Peer-Review

• 93. Where to Submit?

• 94. Assessing the Journal and Improving Publication Success

• 95. Further Considerations for Journal Submission: Open Access, Cover Letters, and redatory Journals

• 96. Some Tips for Good Writing Revisited

• 97. Receiving and Dealing with Decisions

• 98. Summary

• 99. Additional Resources

Glossary

Versioning History

Contact Information

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The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. It is designed for advanced undergraduate courses, or introductory and intermediate graduate-level courses.

The first part of the book introduces the scientific method, then covers research design, measurement, descriptive statistics, probability, inference, and basic measures of association. The second part of the book covers bivariate and multiple linear regression using the ordinary least squares, the calculus and matrix algebra that are necessary for understanding bivariate and multiple linear regression, the assumptions that underlie these methods, and then provides a short introduction to generalized linear models.

The book fully embraces the open access and open source philosophies. The book is freely available in the SHAREOK repository; it is written in R Markdown files that are available in a public GitHub repository; it uses and teaches R and RStudio for data analysis, visualization and data management; and it uses publicly available survey data (from the Meso-Scale Integrated Socio-geographic Network) to illustrate important concepts and methods. We encourage students to download the data, replicate the examples, and explore further! We also encourage instructors to download the R Markdown files and modify the text for use in different courses. 

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This handbook is written for patients and members of the public who want to understand more about the approaches, methods and language used by health-services researchers. Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is now a requirement of most major health-research programmes, and this book is designed to equip these individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for meaningful participation. Edited by award-winning mental-health researchers, the book has been produced in partnership with mental-health-service users and carers with experience of research involvement. It includes personal reflections from these individuals alongside detailed information on quantitative, qualitative and health-economics research methods, and comprehensively covers all the basics needed for large-scale health research projects:

systematic reviews; research design and analysis using both qualitative and quantitative approaches; health economics; research ethics; impact and dissemination.

This book was developed during a five-year research programme funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) called Enhancing the Quality of User Involved Care Planning in Mental Health Services (EQUIP). The handbook clearly outlines research practices, and gives an insight into how public and patient representatives can be involved in them and shape decisions. Each chapter ends with a reflective exercise, and there are also some suggested sources of additional reading.

People who get involved in health research as experts from experience now have a textbook to support their research involvement journey. 

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[from the Preface:]

Psychology, like most other sciences, has its own set of tools to investigate the important research questions of its field. Unlike other sciences that are older and more mature, psychology is a relatively new field and, like an adolescent, is learning and changing rapidly. Psychology researchers are learning and changing along with the emerging science. This textbook introduces students to the fundamental principles of what it is like to think like a psychology researcher in the contemporary world of psychology research.

Historically, psychology developed practices and methods based on the established physical sciences. Unlike physical sciences, psychology had to grapple with the inherent variation among its subjects: people. To better account for this, we developed some practices and statistical methods that we (naïvely) considered to be foolproof. Over time we established a foundation of research findings that we considered solid.

In recent years, psychology’s conversation has shifted to an introspective one, looking inward and re-examining the knowledge that we considered foundational. We began to find that some of that unshakable foundation was not as strong as we thought; some of the bedrock findings in psychology were being questioned and failed to be upheld in fuller scrutiny. As many introspective conversations do, this one caused a crisis of faith.

Psychologists are now questioning if we really know what we thought we knew or if we simply got lucky. We are struggling to understand how what we choose to publish and not publish, what we choose to report and not report, and how we train our students as researchers is having an effect on what we call “knowledge” in psychology. We are beginning to question whether that knowledge represents real behaviour and mental processes in human beings, or simply represents the effects of our choice of methods. This has started a firestorm among psychology researchers, but it is one that needs to play out. For a book aimed at novice psychology undergraduates, it is tempting to gloss over these issues and proclaim that our “knowledge” is “truth.” That would be a disservice to our students though, who need to be critical questioners of research. Instead of shying away from this controversy, this textbook invites the reader to step right into the middle of it.

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What exactly is scientific integrity? And why should we care about it? What are the issues at stake? What do we know about the nature and extent of these issues, and what do they tell us about the overall health of the scientific field? In this book, I will explore the general concept of integrity, describe the social values behind it, and apply those values to science specifically (Chapter 1). I will then formulate two basic standards of scientific integrity, against the background of the establishment of codes of conduct for scientific practice, including the most recent such code in the Netherlands (Chapter 2). Thereafter I will focus on fraud and other forms of dishonest behavior in scientific research and, in doing so, address the difficult question of whether or not scientific integrity violations have increased (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 outlines how suspected scientific integrity violations are handled in the Netherlands. In Chapters 5 and 6, I delve into more specific topics, such as the definition of plagiarism and self-plagiarism (Chapter 5) and the important distinction between sloppy science and dishonest research (Chapter 6). Finally, in Chapter 7, I examine the university system of self-regulation and consider how we can pass down the scientific spirit—of which integrity is a crucial part—to the next generation of researchers.

This book is primarily intended for the academic community. ... Traditionally, an academic community consists of scientists—who conduct research and teach—their students, Deans, research supervisors, librarians, library users, university administrators and treasurers. 

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As an introductory textbook for social work students studying research methods, this book guides students through the process of creating a research project. Students will learn how to discover a researchable topic that is interesting to them, examine scholarly literature, formulate a proper research question, design a quantitative or qualitative study to answer their question, carry out the design, interpret quantitative or qualitative results, and disseminate their findings to a variety of audiences. Examples are drawn from the author's practice and research experience, as well as topical articles from the literature. The textbook is aligned with the Council on Social Work Education's 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.

Table of Contents [brief]:

Chapter 1: Introduction to research

Chapter 2: Beginning a research project

Chapter 3: Reading and evaluating literature

Chapter 4: Conducting a literature review

Chapter 5: Ethics in social work research

Chapter 6: Linking methods with theory

Chapter 7: Design and causality

Chapter 8: Creating and refining a research question

Chapter 9: Defining and measuring concepts

Chapter 10: Sampling

Chapter 11: Survey research

Chapter 12: Experimental design

Chapter 13: Interviews and focus groups

Chapter 14: Unobtrusive research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches

Chapter 15: Real-world research: Evaluation, single-subjects, and action research

Chapter 16: Reporting and reading research

(See Also: https://opensocialwork.org/education/textbooks/ )

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This book is designed to introduce doctoral and postgraduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioural research, and can serve as a standalone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class.

This book is currently being used as a research text at universities in 216 countries, across six continents and has been translated into seven different languages. To receive updates on this book, including the translated versions, please follow the author on Facebook or Twitter @Anol_B.

About the Author:

Anol Bhattacherjee is a professor of information systems and Citigroup/Hidden River Fellow at the University of South Florida, USA. He is one of the top ten information systems researchers in the world, ranked eighth based on research published in the top two journals in the discipline, MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research, over the last decade (2001-2010). In a research career spanning 15 years, Dr. Bhattacherjee has published over 50 refereed journal papers and two books that have received over 4,000 citations on Google Scholar. He also served on the editorial board of MIS Quarterly for four years and is frequently invited to present his research or build new research programs at universities all over the world. More information about Dr. Bhattacherjee can be obtained from his webpage at http://ab2020.weebly.com. 

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Intended for those without a background in statistics, this work is an explanation of the quantitative processes used by researchers to try to establish whether one variable has an impact on another. The concept of concomitant variation, two variable types (independent and dependent), the three basic levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal & numerical), and four statistical tests of relationships (Chi-Square, ANOVA, Logistical Regression and Correlation) are described within. These descriptions do not require quantitative skills in order to be understood. 

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There has been an increasing interest in research ethics over the last decade given the increasing ethical regulation of social research. 'Ethical literacy' encourages researchers to understand and engage with the ethical issues that emerge in the process of research. This book provides a short, succinct and accessible overview of the field, highlighting the key issues and everyday ethical dilemmas that researchers are likely to face in different contexts. Covering a range of methods, the book provides clear guidance for researchers on how to identify an approach that fits with their moral and intellectual framework. It explores ethical issues relating to 'traditional' research methods as well as to new and emerging methods and approaches - particularly visual and online methods.

Illustrated throughout with real-world examples, this book also includes an annotated bibliography of key texts and other helpful resources. What are Qualitative Research Ethics? will be a vital resource for social science researchers across a range of disciplines.

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More about this e-Book:

The massive expansion of the internet into every aspect of our lives creates a challenge for social researchers: can they simply transfer their traditional methods and techniques online or do they need to reinvent research methods for the new environment? As online research becomes increasingly prevalent it becomes more important for researchers to have an answer to these questions and an approach to conducting research online. This book is a straightforward, accessible introduction to social research online.

It covers the key issues and concerns for social scientists: online surveys, focus groups, interviews, ethnographies and experiments, as well as discussing the implications of social media, and of online research ethics. 

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This book makes clear the procedures and practices surrounding qualitative interviewing. Qualitative interviews are a critical part of qualitative research, but understandings of what it means to carry out interviews have shifted over time. This book provides the latest studies and practical guidance on how to cater for a broad range of research. It shows researchers and students how to begin with key questions and theories and the best interviewing tactic to take.

What is Qualitative Interviewing? addresses the changes brought by new technologies as well as enduring issues such as asking and listening, the implications of power dynamics, and the broader social relations for research and interviewer-interviewee relations.

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This book invites readers to explore the nature of qualitative research, and to recognise the varied and conflicting forms it can take. It examines how these contrast with quantitative work, as well as how they differ from journalism and imaginative literature. The book describes various methodological philosophies that have shaped qualitative work, as well as different types of orientation to be found within it today. It offers clear definitions of key terms and concepts, and also a detailed exploration of recent disputes among qualitative researchers, with a view to showing how differences in practice relate to underlying commitments. This book will be a vital resource for both new and experienced researchers. 

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