List of Figures and Tables | p. ix |
Preface to the First Edition | p. xi |
Preface to the Second Edition | p. xiii |
Preface to the Third Edition | p. xv |
Preparation | p. 1 |
Research and the Research Student | p. 3 |
The aim of this book | p. 3 |
The structure of the book | p. 5 |
What is research? | p. 7 |
Some features of student research | p. 10 |
Classifying research | p. 13 |
The process of research | p. 16 |
The successful completion of student research | p. 18 |
Types of research and this book | p. 20 |
The requirements to be satisfied | p. 21 |
Chapter Summary | p. 25 |
Selecting and Justifying a Research Project | p. 26 |
Personal value of the topic | p. 26 |
Selecting a project topic | p. 27 |
Research degree topic selection in outline | p. 27 |
Appointing the supervisor | p. 29 |
Initial selection of a topic | p. 31 |
Techniques for generating research topics | p. 34 |
Feasibility of the research proposed | p. 39 |
Social value of the research | p. 42 |
Research symmetry | p. 43 |
Scope for research | p. 44 |
Developing a research proposal | p. 45 |
Chapter Summary | p. 50 |
Planning the Research Project | p. 51 |
The need to plan | p. 51 |
Network planning | p. 53 |
An example of network planning in student research | p. 53 |
Rendering progress explicit: research milestones | p. 68 |
The role of network analysis during the execution stage | p. 69 |
Planning part-time research | p. 70 |
Chapter Summary | p. 72 |
Literature Searching | p. 73 |
The academic library | p. 74 |
Major primary, secondary and tertiary sources | p. 74 |
Why scan the literature? | p. 82 |
Literature searches and relevance trees | p. 83 |
Citation indexes | p. 87 |
Carrying out a literature search electronically | p. 90 |
An example of an electronic literature search | p. 91 |
The web of science search | p. 91 |
Using a search engine | p. 98 |
Setting up one's own bibliography | p. 102 |
Serendipity in literature searching | p. 105 |
The roles of supervisor and librarian | p. 105 |
Using the references | p. 106 |
Chapter Summary | p. 107 |
Data Analysis and Gathering | p. 109 |
Analysing the Data | p. 111 |
The role of analysis | p. 111 |
Definition of analysis | p. 113 |
Types of data and their place in analysis | p. 114 |
The purpose of analysis | p. 116 |
Proper argument and analysis | p. 117 |
A review of some common purposes of analysis and applicable techniques | p. 120 |
Testing a quantitative analysis | p. 132 |
The use of the computer in analysis | p. 135 |
Ensuring the analysis is of an appropriate standard | p. 136 |
Chapter summary | p. 138 |
Gathering the Data | p. 139 |
Activities involved in data gathering | p. 140 |
Access to data | p. 141 |
Gathering data to an adequate standard | p. 141 |
Preparing for data gathering | p. 151 |
Organising the data | p. 152 |
Collecting primary data | p. 153 |
Secondary data sources | p. 159 |
Chapter summary | p. 165 |
Producing the Research Results | p. 167 |
Executing the Research | p. 169 |
The research plan | p. 170 |
Overcommitment | p. 171 |
Individual problems | p. 172 |
Threats to the continuation of the study | p. 174 |
Serious delay | p. 179 |
General support problems | p. 180 |
Harassment and intimidation | p. 182 |
Problems and issues in working with a supervisor | p. 183 |
Conclusion | p. 191 |
Chapter summary | p. 192 |
Presentation of the Research Findings | p. 193 |
Introduction | p. 193 |
Institutional guidelines | p. 194 |
Style | p. 197 |
Citation | p. 200 |
Chapters and sections | p. 207 |
Editing and proofreading | p. 214 |
Copying, printing and binding | p. 217 |
Preparing for a viva voce or oral examination | p. 219 |
Publishing the research | p. 224 |
Conclusion | p. 227 |
Chapter summary | p. 228 |
Appendices | p. 231 |
An Example of Topic Analysis | p. 233 |
A Select Bibliography on Student Research | p. 241 |
Books and Articles Cited in the Main Text | p. 251 |
Index | p. 255 |
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