Student Research and Report Writing

This is an invaluable, concise, all-in-one guide for carrying out student research and writing a paper, adaptable to course use and suitable for use by students independently, it successfully guides students along every step of the way.

• Allows students to better manage their research projects

• Exercises and worksheets break down the research process into small steps and walk students through each stage of the research project

• Offers real-world and lively examples that are attractive and relevant to students

• Based on twenty years of experience in teaching research techniques to students in a way that avoids the methodology "overkill" from encyclopaedic and intimidating textbooks

• Accompanying website includes powerpoint lecture slides for instructors and helpful links to video resources for student. Visit www.wiley.com\go\wang\researchreportwriting

Autorentext

GABE T. WANG is Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University. He has published four books including China's Population Problems, Thoughts and Policies (1999), China and the Taiwan Issue (2006) and American Sociology and the Socioeconomic Development of China (2013). His research focuses on population, socioeconomic development, and adolescent deviant behaviours. Professor Wang has given lectures in many universities and research institutes in China. He has over 20 years of experience in teaching research methods and student research.

KEUMJAE PARK is Associate Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University. Her research focuses on immigrant women, migration in comparative perspectives, identities, and social inequality. She is the author of Korean Immigrant Women and the Renegotiation of Identity: Class, Gender, and Politics of Identity (2009). She enjoys teaching and mentoring student research and postgraduate theses. She teaches research methods and data analysis courses on a regular basis.

Klappentext

'Student Research and Report Writing is the most comprehensive and yet concise guide to student research that I have seen. Wang and Park get to the essence of what new researchers need to know and anticipate, without oversimplifying or cutting corners. I will definitely incorporate it into my teaching.'
Howard Lune, The City University of New York

'Wang and Park have taken their years of experience with fielding student questions about the research process and put them to excellent use in this book. Written from the inquiring minds perspective, the authors do a great job of posing and answering questions that every student researcher should ask and must ultimately answer when embarking on an independent research project. Students and professors alike will undoubtedly find this book most helpful.'
Janet Ruane, Montclair State University

Student Research and Report Writing is a user-friendly and practical research guidebook for students undergraduate and postgraduate - in any social sciences discipline who are carrying out research and/or writing a thesis. It provides the guidance and tools to build on earlier stages of work toward a completion of their papers, delivering a comprehensive, yet concise, all-in-one guide.

With students' challenges and questions in mind, this book focuses only on the knowledge and skills that are practically needed and helpful, with each chapter answering typical questions that students frequently ask. It starts with the challenges of student research topic selection; moves on to information search, literature review, and constructing hypotheses and/or research questions; helps with research design, and research proposal-writing; shows how to conduct quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; and guides the reader through the process of writing their paper, effectively guiding students on each step of the journey.

Inhalt

Acknowledgments ix

List of Boxes x

List of Figures and Tables xi

About the Website xiii

Chapter 1: Introduction: Start Your Research Journey 1

What Is Research? 1

What Type of Research Project Do You Have? 3

What Are the Procedures for Scientific Research? 6

Will There Be Bends and Detours in the Research Process? 6

How to Embark on Your Research Journey 7

How Will This Book Help You? 11

How Is This Book Organized? 12

Chapter 2: Topic Selection: Getting Started 15

Where Can You Start to Find a Good Topic? 15

How Can You Narrow Down Your Topic? 18

What Topic Is Appropriate for Your Research? 20

How Do You Know the Topic You Selected Is a Good Topic? 24

Can You Change Your Topic? 25

Exercises for Chapter 2 26

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 2 30

Chapter 3: Searching for Information 31

What Is Valid and Reliable Information? 31

What Do You Need to Prepare Before Searching for Information? 32

Should You Search in Libraries or on the Internet? 34

What Different Sources Are Available? 35

How Do You Go about Doing Library Research? 38

How Do You Conduct a Search Using Journal Article Databases? 43

How Do You Keep Organized Records of the Information Found? 50

How Do You Use the Information You Found? 53

Exercises for Chapter 3 54

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 3 57

Chapter 4: Reviewing the Literature 58

What Is a Literature Review? 59

Why Do You Need a Literature Review? 59

What Does the Literature Review Entail? 60

How to Sort Your Literature 61

How Do You Read Your Literature and Take Notes? 63

How Do You Evaluate and Synthesize Your Reviewed Literature? 64

How Do You Write Your Literature Review? 67

Exercises for Chapter 4 72

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 4 80

Chapter 5: Research Questions and Methods 81

What Are Your Research Questions? 81

What Are the Goals of Your Research? 84

What Method Should You Use in Your Research? 86

How Do You Use Theory in Your Research? 94

Are Ethical Matters Important in Your Research? 96

What Ethical Issues Should You Pay Attention To? 97

Exercises for Chapter 5 100

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 5 104

Chapter 6: Steps of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs 105

What Are Your Independent and Dependent Variables? 106

How Do You Select a Sample to Study from Your Target Population? 107

What Is an Acceptable Sample Size for Surveys? 108

How Do You Turn Your Concepts into Variables in Surveys? 110

What Are Levels of Measurement and Why Do They Matter? 111

What Do You Need to Know about Qualitative Research Designs? 116

How Do You Construct Your Interview Questions? 116

How Do You Select People for Interviews? 119

What Should You Do to Have Productive Interviews? 121

What Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods Can You Consider? 123

Exercises for Chapter 6 126

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 6 132

Chapter 7: Writing a Research Proposal 133

What Should You Include in Your Research Proposal? 134

Do You Need a Title for Your Proposal? 134

What Should You Write in Your Introduction? 135

What Should You Write in Your Literature Reviews? 136

What Should You Write about Your Research Methods? 139

What Else Do You Include in Your Proposal? 140

What Format Should You Use to List the References? 142

What Writing Styles Are Appropriate for Research Proposals? 143

Incorporating Feedback from Faculty Supervisors 143

Exercises for Chapter 7 145

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 7 149 **Chapter 8: Practical Issues While ...