Research Guides: Research Methods: Start Your Research

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Start Your Research with Sage Research Methods

Most research projects have 7 main steps:

Define Your Topic
Develop a Researchable Research Question
Design Your Research

Review the Literature
Choose Your Method(s)
Ensure Your Research is Ethical and Safe

Do Fieldwork / Gather Your Data
Analyze Your Data
Write It Up
Disseminate Your Findings

Use the other tabs of this box or the Sage Research Methods Project Planner to guide you through the process.

Project Planner (Sage Research Methods)
Step-by-step guide to planning and conducting your research project.

Or search Sage Research Methods for more resources.

1. Define a Topic

You may already have a topic in mind, or your topic may have been assigned to you.

Defining a Topic (Sage Project Planner) To research you first need to specify a particular area of interest which is appropriate for your research and which you will enjoy working on. This guide offers practical advice on how to do this.
Choosing a Topic (In: Doing Your Undergraduate Project) "Whether your project is to be work-based or academic, selection of the topic for it requires clear and disciplined preparation. In this chapter, factors that will assist you in making an informed choice of topic are considered."

2. Develop a Researchable Research Question

A research question is more refined than a topic and helps you focus your efforts.

Developing a Researchable Question (Sage Project Planner) The objective of research should be to discover something new about the world. To achieve this you need a research question and you need to develop one (or a set of questions) that is researchable, in practice.
Research Question (In: Encyclopedia of Research Design) One of the most important decisions a researcher will make is deciding on a question that will be examined in the research process. This can be a very difficult decision because there can be many questions a researcher wants and needs to address. Researchers need to be aware of the following issues in relation to creating the research question.
Creating a Testable Research Question (Sage Video) Short video that explores the process of creating, defining, and refining research questions.

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3. Design Your Research

Review the Literature

A literature review is a crucial step to monitor what has already been written about your topic.

Reviewing the Literature (Sage Project Planner) The literature review is an important part of every research project. This section takes you through the literature review process, explaining the reasons for reviewing the literature and differentiation between the types of literature available.

Choose Your Method(s)

The Methods Map can help you choose a method if you’re not sure which to use.

Research Design (Sage Project Planner) Step-by-step guide to selecting the most appropriate method(s) for your research. Also covers the different types of data that your research method(s) will generate.
Planning & Practicalities (Sage Project Planner) Practicality—the actual, messy, real business of getting good research done—matters just as much as the methods or approaches that you choose. This guide will help you plan your research effectively.

Researching Ethically and Safely

Research Ethics (Sage Project Planner) For the social science researcher, issues of ethics and safety are of great importance, and should remain in the front of your mind when planning and carrying out research. This guide will help you think about what it means to research ethically and safely and will lead you to additional resources to find out more.

Research Ethics for Social Scientists by Mark Israel; Iain Hay Ethics is becoming an increasingly prominent issue for all researchers across the western world. This comprehensive and accessible guide introduces students to the field and encourages knowledge of research ethics in practice.
ISBN: 9781412903905
Publication Date: 2006-06-29

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4. Do Fieldwork/Gather Data

Data Collection (Sage Project Planner) Step-by-step guide to deciding what type and variety of data to collect, whether to use primary or secondary data, and how to collect it.

Data Collection: Key Debates and Methods in Social Research by Wendy Olsen An indispensable introduction to key issues and practical methods needed for data collection.
ISBN: 9781847872562
Publication Date: 2011-12-06

5. Analyze Your Data

Data Analysis and Interpretation (Sage Project Planner) Explains different types of qualitative and quantitative data, how to analyze them, and how to interpret your results.

Handbook of Data Analysis by Melissa A. Hardy (Editor); Alan Bryman (Editor) Reference guide to basic theoretical arguments, practical quantitative techniques and the methodologies that the majority of social science researchers are likely to require for postgraduate study and beyond. Diagrams and tables are used effectively throughout the text and snippets of sample code provide useful additions to chapters for those of us who are less familiar with statistical software packages.
ISBN: 9780761966524
Publication Date: 2004-05-25
Data Analysis by Michael S. Lewis-Beck Introduces the reader to the "art" of data analysis from data-gathering to multiple regression. Focuses on the interpretation of a statistical result, in particular those that come from non-experimental social research.
ISBN: 9780803957725
Publication Date: 1995-01-17

6. Write It Up

Writing Up (Sage Project Planner) Your guide to writing academically, including tips for specific works (e.g., reports, research proposals, dissertations, theses) and different sections of your work (e.g., abstract, introduction, methodology, conclusion).

Writing and Presenting Research by Angela Thody Introductory guide through the choices to be made when deciding how to report research. Covers research written as theses and dissertations; chapters, books, reports and articles in academic, professional or general media such as newspapers; and also reviews the options for presenting research orally as lectures, keynotes, conference papers and even TV game shows.
ISBN: 9781412902939
Publication Date: 2006-06-29

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7. Disseminate Your Findings

Dissemination (Sage Project Planner) Your guide to disseminating your research.
Communicating Your Research to the Press & Policy Makers (Sage Video) William Schmidt explains how to clearly discuss findings with non-academic, with special attention to common barriers in such communication.

Presentation Skills by Patsy McCarthy; Caroline Hatcher Offering practical and constructive advice for students giving presentations, this book presents a detailed explanation of how to conduct a successful presentation and how to feel at ease with public speaking.
ISBN: 9780761940920
Publication Date: 2002-10-03

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Sage Research Methods

Sage Research Methods: Books & Reference
Access handbooks, manuals, encyclopedias, and other books on qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences to improve your understanding and application of research methodology.
Sage Research Methods: Cases
Search and access hundreds of specially commissioned case studies of engaging research projects that highlight project design and methods application. These stories of real life research illustrate how methods are applied in real research projects. Access consists of the Cases, Part 1; Cases, Part 2; and Medicine & Health packages.
Sage Research Methods: Datasets
Find, explore, visualize, and share detailed data from 550+ U.S. and international databases through one central searchable platform.
Sage Research Methods: Videos
Find and watch video tutorials, case studies, expert interviews, and more, covering the entire research methods and statistics curriculum.

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