METHODS - on line books, manuals, guides to research methods and evaluation.
Most of these sites describe social research methods, or evaluation methods, including survey methods, qualitative methods. These are listed in 2 main sections: General Methods, and Evaluation. Many of the evaluation guides are also general methods guides. Each section is further subdivided into academic sites, government sites, or private organization or individual sites. This organization is used because there are a lot of sites, and this was one way to organize them. Within sections, site are listed in no particular order.
I General Research Methods sites
Government
Statistics: Power from data. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/edu/power-pouvoir/toc-tdm/5214718-eng.htm has sections describing data collection methods, questionnaires. September 2021.
Academic sites
Anol Bhattacherjee Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices (Revised Edition), Edited by Samara Rowling. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/social-science-research-principles-methods-and-practices or go directly to the book here https://usq.pressbooks.pub/socialscienceresearch/ from 2019
Blackstone, Amy. Principles of Sociological Inquiry – Qualitative and Quantitative Methods https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/139 Published 2012. Dr. Blackstone is from University of Maine
Christine Davies, A Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/a-quick-guide-to-quantitative-research-in-the-social-sciences or directly to the source, https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/2017/ I'm not sure of the date, but it seems to be 2022 or after.
DeCarlo, Matthew, Scientific Inquiry in Social Work https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/scientific-inquiry-in-social-work from 2018
Matt DeCarlo, Cory Cummings, Kate Agnelli. Graduate research methods in social work. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/graduate-research-methods-in-social-work or from the source: https://pressbooks.library.vcu.edu/mswresearch/ 2021
Grand Canyon University, Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching, has this: https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/develop/research_ready The Research Ready Certification Program (RRCP) is designed to help GCU Faculty and Staff becomes more confident in their research, presentation, and publication skills. The Research Ready Certificate is comprised of a series of online training modules that cover research basics such as design, methodologies, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis as well as presenting and publishing your findings.
Horne, Christopher. A quick, free, somewhat easy-to-read introduction to empirical social science research methods. https://scholar.utc.edu/oer/1/ April 2018
Rajiv Jhangiani, Carrie Cuttler, Dana C. Leighton, Research Methods in Psychology – 4th Edition, https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/ Pub Date: 2019
Susan Losh http://myweb.fsu.edu/slosh/index.html teaches research methods http://myweb.fsu.edu/slosh/MethodsOverview.html introduction to different methods, eg, surveys, focus groups, some less structured methods. From 2017
Rebecca L. Mauldin. Foundations of Social Work Research. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/foundations-of-social-work-research or from the source https://uta.pressbooks.pub/foundationsofsocialworkresearch/ 2020.
On line research methods http://www.restore.ac.uk/orm/site/home.htm From the National Center for Research Methods. Aimed at understanding how to do research on line.
Sheppard, Valerie. Research Methods for the Social Sciences: An Introduction. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/jibcresearchmethods/ This textbook provides a broad overview of research methods utilized in sociology. It will be of particular value for students who are new to research methods. 2020.
Williams, Monica. Research Methods for Criminal Justice Students. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/research-methods-for-criminal-justice-students Based on texbooks by Bhattacherjee and by Blackstone. 2022.
NOTE: We can find a lot of textbooks at https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/ and these link to the sources for the texts.
Private organizations or people
Center for Local Economic Strategies http://www.cles.org.uk/publications/research-methods-handbook/ Research Methods Handbook, Stuart MacDonald & Nicola Headlam. 2009. Good overview of many different kinds of research methods.
A Complete Guide to Quantitative Research Method, by Manu Bhatia, June 11, 2018. https://humansofdata.atlan.com/2018/06/quantitative-research-methods/ A nice guide, with lots of sub topics built in.
Trochim, William M. The Research Methods Knowledge Base, https://conjointly.com/kb/ General research methods text, with chapters on topics such as survey construction, sampling, and a chapter on evaluation. If its a method, its probably here. I can't tell when this was last updated or revised.
II: Evaluation: how to, approaches, manuals, guides
These also often include research methods as well.
Managing evaluations
Good Practice Guidelines https://evaluation.org.uk/community-learning/resources/good-practice-guidelines/ "The Guidelines for Good Practice in Evaluation represent a set of principles for action in evaluation". Last revised in 2018.
Making evaluations matter: A practical guide for evaluators. http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/405451 by Cecile Kusters with Simone van Vugt, Seerp Wigboldus, Bob Williams and Jim Woodhill. 2011. Published from Centre for Development Innovation, Wageningen University & Research centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Better Evaluation. Manage an evaluation or evaluation system https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/rainbow-framework/manage
UN Evaluation Group, Compendium of Evaluation Methods Reviewed (Vol I and II) https://www.unevaluation.org/uneg_publications/compendium-evaluation-methods-reviewed-vol-i-and-ii 2020 and 2022. Their views on advantages and disadvantages of different methods of evaluation.
Academic sites
University of Kansas Community Toolbox http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents includes a couple of chapters on evaluation, including introduction and methods. See chapters 36-39. Started in 1996. Looks like this was last worked on in 2015.
Western Michigan University has an Evaluation Center https://wmich.edu/evaluation that has lots and lots of resources. One example is the Evalu-ate resource library, https://evalu-ate.org/resource-library/ where you can view past webinars, like A Crash Course in Evaluation Approaches. https://evalu-ate.org/webinar/aug24/ and Understanding the Basics and Benefits of Evaluation https://evalu-ate.org/webinar/feb25/
Government sites
From the UK
Green Book, Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-governent "This new edition of the Green Book, Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government, incorporates revised guidance, to encourage a more thorough, long-term and analytically robust approach to appraisal and evaluation. It is relevant to all appraisals and evaluations." Last updated May 2024.
From Canada
Centre of Excellence for Evaluation (CEE) http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/cee/index-eng.asp not exactly a how to, but according to their website "The CEE provides functional leadership, including advice and guidance in the conduct, use and advancement of evaluation practices across the federal government." They have policies and standards on evaluation, and these
Theory-Based Approaches to Evaluation: Concepts and Practices
and
Supporting Effective Evaluations: A Guide to Developing Performance Measurement Strategies
From the USA
CDC Approach to Program Evaluation https://www.cdc.gov/evaluation/php/about/
CDC Program Evaluation Framework https://www.cdc.gov/evaluation/php/evaluation-framework/index.html
CDC Program Evaluation Framework, 2024 (update). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/rr/rr7306a1.htm MMWR, Recommendations and Reports / September 26, 2024 / 73(6);1–37
Also see some technical publications http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/tech_methods/
Pink Book-Making Health Communication Programs Work http://www.cancer.gov/publications/health-communication has a chapter on evaluation (stage 4) and a chapter on research methods. No date given.
From Australia
Australian Centre for Evaluation https://evaluation.treasury.gov.au has a bunch of information and guides.
Evaluation Guide https://www.wa.gov.au/government/document-collections/program-evaluation The government of Western Australia, last updated 2021
NSW Treasury Evaluation Guidelines https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/public-sector/financial-information-for-public-entities/centre-for-economic-evidence/nsw-government-investment-framework/evaluation-guidelines 2023, with revisions in 2025.
Private organizations or people
Asian Develpment Bank. Impact Evaluation of Development Interventions: A Practical Guide. White, Howard. Raitzer, David A. December 2017. Asian Development Bank. https://www.adb.org/publications/impact-evaluation-development-interventions-practical-guide
Better Evaluation http://betterevaluation.org/ "An international collaboration to improve evaluation practice and theory by sharing information about options (methods or tools) and approaches." Has stuff about methods and a lot more. One place to start is "Getting Started" https://www.betterevaluation.org/getting-started Also see their Rainbow Framework https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/rainbow-framework Also see their Better Evaluation Impact Evaluation Series https://www.betterevaluation.org/tools-resources/overview-impact-evaluation
Research for Action has this brief overview, from 2020. A Guide to Program Evaluation: What to Expect and Why It Will Be Worth It https://www.researchforaction.org/research-resources/a-guide-to-program-evaluation-what-to-expect-and-why-it-will-be-worth-it/
InterAction has a couple of manuals about impact evaluation https://www.interaction.org/blog/impact-evaluation-guidance-note-and-webinar-series/ by Patricia Rogers, Burt Perrin, Michael Bamberger. For example, Introduction to Impact Evaluation, by Patricia Rogers, is from 2012.
UNDP methodological publications, at their evaluation methodology center https://erc.undp.org/methods-center many pubs are from 2021.
World Bank, Independent Evaluation Group https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/methods-resources has a bunch of resources, including "Evaluation of International Development Interventions. An Overview of Approaches and Methods" https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/methods-resource/evaluation-international-development from 2020.
The World Bank also has this page https://dimewiki.worldbank.org/Main_Page "The DIME Wiki is a collaborative, open-source resource that presents guidelines that are easy to understand and apply for users of varying levels of expertise."
Last checked and edited 9/16/2025