I want to purchase some reader-friendly books on research methods for grad work (theses/dissertations). I've seen a few that were so technical, I wanted to hire a consultant to explain them to me. I know that since I'm speaking of grad level work, the books will not be written for K-12. At the same time, however, I'm thinking there's got to be something that's easy to follow. Are there any titles that some of you have found useful? Thanks. Roscoe
Your Indispensable Guide to Writing Quality Research Papers: For Students of Religion and Theology Author: Nancy Jean Vyhmeister, Ed.D. ISBN: 0-310-23945-1 Zondervan, 2001, 228 pp. $14.99 Chapters include: What is Research? Finding Sources. Planning Research. Preparing Bibliographies. Research Thinking. Statistics, Tables and Graphs. 21 chapters in all.
How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation David Sternberg St Martins Press, 1981 ISBN: 0312496222 Completing Your Doctoral Dissertation or Master's Thesis (in two semesters or less) Evelyn Hunt Ogden Technomic Publishing, 1993 ISBN: 1566760356 Writing the Doctoral Dissertation Gordon B. Davis and Clyde A. Parker Barron's, 1979 ISBN: 0812009975 Writing the Doctoral Dissertation (Second Edition, same authors, 1997) ISBN: 0812098005 Dissertations and Theses From Start to Finish John D. Cone and Sharon L. Foster American Psychology Association, 1999 ISBN: 1557981949 Research Design (Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches) John W. Creswell Sage Publications, 1994 ISBN: 0803952554 Successful Dissertations and Theses David Madsen Jossey-Bass, 1983 (There is a more recent edition available) ISBN: 075895557 Anything by Michael Q. Patton Try this website: Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation I've probably got more in my personal library, depending on your particular needs. Just ask.
All of Rich's suggestions (well, at least the ones I'm familiar with) are very good; the first one (Sternberg) is a particular favorite of mine. I haven't seen the one Russell mentioned, but it's very nice to know it exists. Cheers,
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Now I know why I'm becoming addicted to this board. Just reading it is an education. Hmmm. Wonder if I can get credits Again, thanks. Roscoe
We have quite prescribed approaches for research in each discipline - the books quoted are quite generic and very good and saves asking/pestering other graduates with detailed questions The ones I have used are [first is qualitative, second is quantitative]: ADULT EDUCATION A Guide to Research for Educators & Trainers of Adults Merriam, Simpson Krieger ISBN 1-57524-142-0 ACCOUNTING/BUSINESS Business Research Methods Cooper, Schindler McGraw Hill Try and get something that targets [a] the methodology that you choose to use, and [2] and is targetted at your field e.g. religion, bsuiness, law, education etc.. The first is very easy to follow, and the second if you like stats which i *DONT* Good luck
The best overall treatment of research methodology I've seen is The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. This title, published by the University of Chicago Press in 1995, is a practical guide to planning, executing, and reporting on research in any field at any level (i .e., term paper, thesis, dissertation, etc.). It is a standard text used in numerous graduate and postgraduate programs in the U.S. The title mentioned by Russell Morris above is an indispensable guide for doing research in the field of biblical, theological, and religious studies. For those pursuing a research degree in the field of biblical studies and/or biblical theology, the book gives vital information on the expected standards for doctoral research (i.e., exhaustive research, competent use of biblical languages, interaction with French and German sources, etc.).
Here are my picks in order of importance: Practical Research Planning and Design Paul D. Leedy One of the best surveys of qualitative and quantitative research designs. It is simple and easy to understand. Reading Statistics and Research Schuyler W. Huck If you want to understand the technical complexities of reseach results found in journal articles, this is the place to turn. Keep in mind, it presupposes some knowledge of behavioral statistics. Computational Handbook of Statistics James L. Bruning B. L. Kintz This is a classic. If you want to understand how statistics work, this book takes your through all of manual computations. This book strengthens your understanding of whether the method you are using will have a chance of yielding significant results. The Management of a Student Research Project John A. Sharp Keith Howard I like this one in particular because it comes from The Open University. I assume most of the people here will concentrate on Reseach Doctorates and Research Masters. This book is based upon the Commonwealth Reseach Model used in the UK, Australia, and South Africa. I think it gives the reader better insights into what is needed to be successful with a Reseach only thesis or dissertation, than Taugh US models. Good luck, John
Another bit of advice. Go to the library (most College and University libraries will have all the books I mentioned and those of the other posters), and look the books over before deciding what to purchase. It is tempting to jump onto Amazon or Barnes & Noble and start buying a bunch of books which are neither helpful nor very interesting. John
For assistance in the areas of heuristic and phenomenological research, try the books on same by Clark Moustakas.
In my Union Institute travels, Clark Moustakas is revered for his insights into these qualitative methods of research. So I guess, this is a "second-hand second" to that motion.
How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation David Sternberg St Martins Press, 1981 ISBN: 0312496222 Completing Your Doctoral Dissertation or Master's Thesis (in two semesters or less) Evelyn Hunt Ogden Technomic Publishing, 1993 ISBN: 1566760356 Writing the Doctoral Dissertation Gordon B. Davis and Clyde A. Parker Barron's, 1979 ISBN: 0812009975 Writing the Doctoral Dissertation (Second Edition, same authors, 1997) ISBN: 0812098005 Dissertations and Theses From Start to Finish John D. Cone and Sharon L. Foster American Psychology Association, 1999 ISBN: 1557981949 Research Design (Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches) John W. Creswell Sage Publications, 1994 ISBN: 0803952554 Successful Dissertations and Theses David Madsen Jossey-Bass, 1983 (There is a more recent edition available) ISBN: 075895557 Anything by Michael Q. Patton Try this website: Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation I've probably got more in my personal library, depending on your particular needs. Just ask. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rich, Thanks for such a great list. I'll sure look into most of these books pretty soon. _______________ JPMAMBA BA, Business Economics - UCLA BBA, Accounting - California State University, Fullerton MBA, Financial Management - National University DBA, Accounting - Argosy University (IP)
The only one I haven't seen posted is " Case study Research" by Robert Yin, if applicable to your project.
