Balian, E. S. (1988). How to design, analyze, and write doctoral or masters research: Including Select-start personal computer diskette (2nd ed. p. cm.). Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc.
This book is designed to provide a practical guide for professional researchers and students. Key features of the test are the following: a theoretical discussion of objective and subjective elements in research, a section on idea development, a discussion regarding literature review techniques, an emphasis on qualitative research and its role in scientific endeavors, and a section on micro-computers and micro-computer software selection. Included with the text is the Select-Stat micro-computer program (for IBM-PC and compatible products) for ease in finding the optimum statistical techniques for any quantitative research situation.
Balian, E. S. (1994). The graduate research guidebook: A practical approach to doctoral/masters research. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to masters or doctoral research work. Balian's presentation was written with the student in mind and helps dispel the mystique and trepidations of graduate-level research work, The text is presented clearly and facilitates an understanding of research theory coupled with a "hands-on," and very student-supportive, practical approach. Numerous charts and checklists throughout the test help encure academic success for the reader. This third edition formerly was titled How to design, analyze, and write doctoral or masters research, 2nd ed.
Bellquist, J.E. (1993). A guide to grammar and usage for psychology and related fields. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
This style manual serves as a means of assisting in the preparation of dissertations and of papers for presentation, publication, or coursework. It is not a complete publication manual or a book on writing the scientific psychology paper; rather it is a commentary on points of grammatical usage and style that seem, from an editor's perspective, to represent concerns or issues that repeatedly arise when authors write about experimentation in psychology. This book is written by a professor who has served as a copy editor for several APA journals and who is well acquainted with the peculiar stylistic and grammatical graces and weaknesses of writers. The topics and resulting guidelines are arranged alphabetically with cross-referencing where applicable. The book goes beyond traditional handbooks on style by offering the sort of commentary that scientific writers need. In addition, to the explanation for each topic, numerous examples are provided.
Campbell, W. G., Ballou, S. V., & Slade, C. (1994). Form and style: Theses, reports, term papers (9th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Provides guidance to writers of research papers and reports in college, graduate school, business, government, and the professions. Fundamentals such as choosing a topic, preparing a working bibliography, collecting information, outlining the paper, and writing it serve as a review. Elements of the dissertation such as abstract, table of contents, list of tables and figures, acknowledgements, tables, figures, and quotations are detailed in APA format, which should serve as an excellent guide for the final product--the dissertation.
Coley, S.M., & Scheinberg, A. (1990). Proposal writing in the human services. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
This book is written for beginning and moderately-experienced grantwriters. Their main point is that good writing and finding the right sponsor is no guarantee of funding. Effective proposals require targeted communication. Coley and Scheinberg walk you through the process of proposal development and design. In chapters 4 through 9, they provide you with clear and concrete guidelines for effective communication in grant writing. They include step-by-step directives on defining needs or problems to be addressed, specifying goals and objectives, describing anticipated activities, developing an evaluation plan, spelling out the budget, and justifying the plan in terms of agency capability and the significance of the issues addressed or methods used.
Constas, M. A. (1992). Qualitative analysis as a public event: The documentation of category development procedures. American Educational Research Journal, 29, 253-266.
Cook, T., & Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field settings. Chicago: Rand McNally.
In this book, the work of Campbell and Stanley is extended to the design of quasi-experimental studies in settings outside the laboratory. The first two chapters include an update of the information on validity found in the earlier work Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research. Six other chapters include extensive reviews of quasi-experimental designs. For each design, there is a discussion of the trade-offs made when using that format and options for completing data analysis. This latter aspect of the book makes it essential reading for anyone using one of the designs. Reading should be completed prior to meeting with a consultant for advice on design or statistical analysis. The book provides much more than a standard research methods text and is a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any aspiring researcher in the social or behavioral sciences.
Creswell, J.W. (1998). Qualitiative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
The intent of the book is to examine five different traditions of qualitative inquiry--biography, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case studies--and compare them in sixe phases of research design. These six phases are philosophical or theoretical perspectives; the introduction to the study, including the formation of the purpose and research questions; data collection; data analysis; report writing; and standards of quality and verification. An annotated glossary of terms is provided in an appendix.
Fetterman, D. M. (1989). Ethnography: Step by step. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Fink, A., & Kosecoff, J. (1985). How to conduct surveys: A step-by-step guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
This practical guide examines the nitty-gritty of interview and questionnaire surveys. The reader is taken on a step-by-step process of deciding informational needs and hypotheses, choosing a questionniare or interview format, designing a data collection method, choosing a sample, analyzing the findings, and reporting the results.
Fowler, Jr., F. J. (1993). Survey research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
This edition includes coverage of the role of microcomputers in data collection and data entry procedures, the latest research on the training and supervision of interviews, and the significant developments in question design and evaluation. Fowler emphasizes the importance of minimizing sampling errors through superior question design, quality interviewing, and high response rates. Reading this book will help readers to understand the relationship of the details of data collection to figures and statistics based on the survey and how much confidence to place in the reported results based on this relationship.
Fowler, Jr., F. J. (1989). Standard survey interviewing. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Furst, E. J. (1990). The writing requirement for the doctorate in education. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc.
This book reviews several basic topics concerning the writing requirement for the doctorate in education. The book is a supplement to other textbooks and guides for the dissertation. The first chapter gives an overview of the types of studies to met the writing requirement for the doctorate in education. Specifics on the make-up and organization of the dissertation are found in Chapter two, along with several examples. Suggestions on form, style, and language for the dissertation are provided in Chapter three. Chapter fours contains a comprehensive outline for a proposal and an annotated bibliography on guides for students in education and the behavioral sciences. The meaning of the term "problem" as used in dissertations is explored in Chapter five. A presentation both statistical and practical significance concludes the book in Chapter six.
Gall, M. D., & Borg, W. R. (1989). Educational research: A guide for preparing a thesis or dissertation proposal in education (5th ed.). New York: Longman.
Gilgun, J. F., Daly, K., & Handel, G. (1992). Qualitative methods in family research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
The contributors to Qualitative methods in family research explore the unique contribution that qualitative research--ethnography, depth interviewing, documentatary analysis--can make to the study of families. Through both methodological discussions and illustrative cases from a variety of family settings, this indispensable volume provides the fundamental basics needed to conduct or learn about qualitative family research.
Glesne, C., & Peshkin, A. (1992). Becoming qualitative researchers. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Hahn, H., & Stout, R. (1994). The Internet complete reference. Berkeley, CA: Osborne McGraw-Hill
A fairly nontechnical introduction to the Internet. The authors explain how to use the various services provided by the Internet and World Wide Web. They also provide an informative catalog of Internet resources, including educaton-related bulletin boards, directories, and databases.
Jorgensen, D. A. (1989). Participant observation: A methodology for human studies. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Kardas, E.P., & Milford, T.M. (1996). Using the Internet for social science research and practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
This book serves as an introductory manual to the Internet for undergraduate social science students, but there are many relevant resources for graduate students as well. The text is divided into two parts: software tools and discipline-specific chapters (unfortunately education is not one of the disciplines covered). The first part deals with how to use the tools of the Internet: e-mail and mailing lists, TELNET and FTP, Gopher, World Wide Web, Wide Area Information Server, and Usenet. The second part provides information on where to look using the tools.
Kimmel, A. J. (1988). Ethics and values in applied social research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Krathwohl, D. R. (1990). How to prepare a research proposal (3rd ed.). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
The focus of this book is on proposal development for funding, but the book does include suggestions and insights for the doctoral student on the dissertation process. The book is sufficiently comprehensive to accommodate the requirements of proposals for foundations, theses, and dissertations, which is useful for both the novice and experienced writer. A complete section addresses finding funding both at the federal and foundation levels. A source for individuals who are interested not only in dissertation research but also in funded research.
Kupfersmid, J. & Wonderly, D. M. (1994). An author's guide to publishing better articles in better journals in the behavioral sciences. Brandon, VT: CPPC.
This book is designed to assist professionals and graduate students who desire to have their manuscripts published in the most appropriate and most prestigious journals. Guidelines are offered on methods for selecting significant research problems with recommendations for meaningful statistical analyses. A variety of lists of high-status behavioral science journals by speciality area are included, with suggestions on how an author can determine which of these journals are likely to be interested in specific types of manuscripts.
Lavrakas, P. J. (1987). Telephone survey methods: Sampling, selection, and supervision. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Lee, R. M. (1993). Doing research on sensitive topics. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
A comprehensive guide to the methodological, ethical, and practical issues involved in doing research on sensitive topics introduces the reader to the subject of sensitive research and addresses the question of what makes reserach contentious. Lee considers the relationship between reserach and issues of social or political power, the capacity of research to encroach on people's lives, and the potential implicationsreseraching sensitive topics may have for the researcher. Both qualitative and quantitativemethods are covered.
Leong, F.T.L., & Austin, J.T. (Eds.) (1996). The psychology research handbook: A guide for graduate students and research assistants. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
This handbook provides guidance in planning, designing, and carrying out research and data analysis, as well as instruction in writing up the research and applying for grants. Following the standard mode of research planning, design, data collection, statistical analysis, and results writing, individual chapters focus on integral tasks, including finding a topic, conducting literature searches, selecting instruments, designing surveys and questionnaires, sampling, applying for institutional approval, conducting mail and phone surveys, clening up a dataset, using basic and advanced statistical analyses, doing qualitative analyses, and following the writing guidelines of the American Psychological Association. In addition, a special topics section gives advice on such issues as coordinating a research team, applying for grants, and using theory in research.
Li, X., & Crane, N.B. (1993). Electronic style: A guide to citing electronic information. Westport, CT: Meckler.
This guide provides a standardized method for fulltext information files, bibliographic databases, Internet-accessible electronic journals and discussion lists, e-mail, bulletin board systems, and commerical online documents. The guide adheres closely to the APA style of citation and introduces new elements that are relevant to the electronic medium.
Light, R. J., & Pillmer, D. B. (1984). Summing up: The science of reviewing research. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
The authors provide methods for summarizing and evaluating what is known about a particluar topic. They present guidelines and step-by-step procedures for synthesizing existing findings for a review of the literature.
Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (1993). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals (3rd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
The purpose of the book is to prepare the reader for writing a research proposal. Focus is not how to do research but on how to undertake the task of planning and effectively proposing an investigation. The book is divided into two major parts. The chapters that constitute Part I, Writing the Proposal, represent the core of the guide, serving both to present generic information that applies to all research proposals and to discuss education and funding agencies. In Part II, Specimen Proposals, four sample proposals are presented. These proposals represent a wide variety of strategies. The specimens include both successful graduate student proposals and a funded grant proposal. Each of these proposals is critiqued. In the new edition, new chapters on ethics and oral presentations are included and add to the bank of skills addressed in previous editions. A dramatically expanded chapter on qualitative proposal writing is an added feature of the new edition.
Madsen, D. (1992). Successful dissertations and theses: A guide to graduate student research from proposal to completion (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.
Madsen offers a comprehensive source of assistance from topic selection and proposal, through the research and writing processes, to the defense and subsequent presentation to professional audiences. He uses detailed examples to show how each step can be completed in an efficient and timely fashion. Suggestions are given on how to avoid the pitfalls of endless--and often needless--research and how to devise and adhere to a realistic timetable for completion. By reading this book, one learns about long-term planning, avoiding self-defeating strategies, and negotiating with advisers. Model papers, shown at various stages of planning and development, clarify the steps. According to the Library Journal, "Madsen tells how to propose, outline, defend, and possibly publish a dissertation, information that should save graduate students years, pain, and money."
Marin, G., & Marin, B. V. (1991). Research with Hispanic populations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Maruyama, G., & Deno, S. (1992). Research in educational settings. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
This book helps prospective educational researchers plan their research more carefully in K-12 schools. The following issues are the focus of the book: access and credibility in the school, traditional issues of designing research, questions that emerge as the design is imposed on the school culture and setting particularly in regard to school staff and student assessment, the length of interventions and whether or not to schedule follow-up studies, and how to interpret and communicate findings to schools and policy makers. Using personal experiences from their field research to illustrate key concepts, the authors also include a research project to clarify the practical issues of school research.
Meloy, J. M. (1994). Writing the qualitative dissertation. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study research in education (rev. and expanded ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Miller, D. C. (1991). Handbook of research design and social measurement (5th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Both the beginning and seasoned social scientist is offered the basic mechanics of how contemporary research is being designed and carried out. This revision had a new orientation that emphasizes social scientists' three major research activities: basic, applied, and evaluative. New coverage includes software used in research and new methodological tools such as event history analysis, Delphi techniques, network analysis, meta-analysis, and probit and logit methods. Plus, this edition includes a thorough review and critique of sociometric scales and an updated guide to federal and private funding.
Morgan, D. L. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Noblit, G. W., & Hare, R. D. (1988). Meta-ethnography: Systhesizing qualitative studies. Paper series on Qualitative Research Methods, Volume 11. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Meta-ethnography is the synthesis of interpretative research. It is interpretative rather than aggregative. Qualitative studies are unique and holistic, to preserve these characteristics, the meta-ethnography involves the translation of studies into one another. The translation of studies takes the form of an analogy between the studies, among the studies, or both. There are two parts to this book. In the First Part, the authors advance a theory about how interpretivists might derive appropriate understanding from multiple ethnoraphic accounts. In the Second Part, Noblit andHare discuss three different types of meta-ethnographic sysntheses, give examples of these types of syntheses, and draw conclusions.
Ogden, E. H. (1993). Completing your doctoral dissertation or master's thesis--in two semesters or less (2nd ed.). Lancaster, PA: Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.
The purpose of this book is to guide you through selection of a dissertation advisor and committee, selection of a topic, proposal development, data collection, data analysis, writing, editing, and defense of your dissertation. The book will lead you around the pitfalls of "head games," topic selection, advisors, committees, and yourself. It will help you navigate both the "write" and "rite" of passage. As you read this book, you will find that your dissertation need not be a long painful interruption in your life but a relatively short, tolerable experience with many rewards and controlled costs. A sample time line is provided that illustrates how major dissertation activities fit into a two semester work plan.
Renzetti, C. M., & Lee, R. M. (1992). Researching sensitive topics. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
A team of distinguished researhers from a variety of disciplines (psychology, sociology, public health, nursing, anthropology, and public policy) explores such issues as cross-cultural research, disclosure and the dissemination of research findings, feminist methodologies, and self-censorship.
Rossi, P. H., & Freeman, H. E. (1993). Evaluation: A systematic approach (5th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
This revised edition is a comprehensive resource in evaluation research. New to this edition is more coverage on meta-analysis with regard to its use in design program monitorrrrring and management. The book has an effective organization that mirrors how evalaution is practiced--from diagnosing a problem with a social program through the final stages of measuring and analyzing a specific program.
Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (1992). Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
This book is organized around understanding the content and the process dissertation writing and development. There are three parts to the book. In Part I, the authors discuss how to select a topic and possible methods by which a topic might be approached. Their purpose is to get you started in generating researchable questions and exploring both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. The focus on content begins in Part II. The dissertation chapters are described as to what they might include and not include. Information is provided about how to present material appropriately. Process issues are addressed in Part III. Included are common barriers to progress, task and emotional blocks, use of a personal computer and computer software to complete the dissertation, presentation of numbers, and ethical issues.
Salant, P., & Dillman, D.A. (1994). How to conduct your own survey. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The authors' goal is to bring the process of doing survey research within the reach of people who need survey information but have no formal survey training. How surveys work and what makes them accurate are explained in the book. Step by step, the authors descride decisions that mist be made in the course of a survey, including whether a survey is even appropriate, and if so, whether mail, telephone, or face-to-face interviews will work best; whether and how to draw a sample; how to write a questionnaire; how to implement the survey; and how to compile and report results.
Scriver, M. (1991). Evaluation thesaurus (4th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
This thesaurus is comprehensive and deals with program, personnel, product, performance, policy, and proposal evaluation. An introductory essay on the nature of evaluation sets out a new "transdiciplinary paradigm" for evaluation. New checklists, a qualitative and sum approach to integration of multidimensional evaluations, how evaluative conclusions can be inferred from factual premises, how to improve interviewing, discussions of the realities of consulting, new machine-scoreable tests that avoid multiple-choice drawbacks, and technology assessment are contained in this work.
Seidman, I.E. (1991). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Seidman provides step-by-step introduction to the research process using in-depth interviewing. He suggests a practice project and steps that allow the readers to study their own interviewing practice. The text centers on a phenomenological approach to in-depth interviewing. Specific guidance is given on how to carry out this approach to interviewing and the principles of adapting it to one's own goals. In addition, issues in establishing access, making contact with, and selecting participants are discussed, along with the issue of informed consent. The reader is guided through the process of managing, working with, reducing, and reporting the results of interviews.
Sherman, R. R., & Webb, R. B. (Eds.). (1990). Qualitative research in education: Focus and methods. London: The Falmer Press.
A collection of papers that were reprinted from the Journal of Thought. The aim of the editions in producing the collection is to clarify and explain some of the different approaches and methods by which "qualitiative" research in education is being conducted and to develop a sense of what is meant by the term "qualitative." The contributors to the work explain how qualitative research can be rigorous and productive with various kinds of qualitative methods.
Sieber, J. E. (1992). Planning ethnically responsible research: A guide for social science students. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
The author guides the reader through the process of translating ethical principles, especially those required by federal regulations, into valid research methods and procedures by providing the practical knowledge needed to plan ethically responsible social and behavioral research. Guidelines are offered in each chapter for satisfying federal regulations governing human research and for working with the university's Institutional Review Board (IRB). The book also includes an abundance of useful tools: and introduction to IRB protocol in which the investigator describes the research to the IRB, addresses its ethical considerations, and indicates the necessary steps to comply with legal and ethical requirements; detailed instructions on development of an effective protocol; methods for handling issues of consent, privacy, confidentially, and deception; ways to assess risk and benefit to optimize research outcomes; and how to respect the needs of vulnerable research populations such as children and the urban poor, including those at risk for HIV infection.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
This book is useful to researchers who are interested in inductively building theory through a qualitative analysis of data. If a researcher collects qualitative data, that is, data from interviews or open ended questions on a survey or questionnaire, then in analyzing the data one must follow a recognized approach such as grounded theory. There are three major parts to the book. Part I provides an overview of the operational logic behind the use of grounded theory. Part II details the specific analytic techniques and procedures of the method. Part III contains an explanation of the important adjunct procedures that accompany the collection and analysis of data. The Journal of Visual Sociology reviewed this book and said that it was "a well-written and comprehensive treatment of building theory through systematic and codifiable qualitative research. Strauss and Corbin elaborate in step-by-step detail the procedures and techniques of grounded theory in a way that is interesting and unintimidating for the beginning researcher."
Vogt, W. P. (1993). Dictionary of statistics and methodology: A non-technical guide for the social sciences. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
This dictionary offers nontechnical definitions of statistical and methodological terms used in the social and behavioral sciences. This resource is aimed at helping readers get through a difficult journal article or passage by emphasizing concepts over calculations and by providing detailed examples after each definition.
Vaughn, S., Schumm, J.S., & Sinagub, J. (1996). Focus group interviews in education and psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
This book is designed to provide sufficient information so that focus group interviews can be used effectively in education and psychology. The authors provide details on which research approaches are most compatible with focus groups, applications for research and program planning and evaluation, and examples of research questions in education and psychology that can be addressed through focus group interviews. Chapters are provided on each of the following topics: preparing for the focus group, selection of participants, role of the moderator, and data analysis. There is a separate chapter on focus groups with children and adolescents and on potential abuses of focus group interviews. Each chapter begins with an overview and a key-ideas section. Within the chapter, summary information and important concepts are boxed. Activities conclude each chapter.