Research methods / methodology Books

Book SynopsisAfter almost three centuries of employing Western research methodologies, many African communities, both on the continent and throughout the world, remain marginalized in contemporary discourse. It is obvious that these Western methodologies have done relatively little good for Africans. To rectify this oversight and bring these African communities to the fore, a shift in perspective is needed, and this book posits the adoption of alternative, African-centered research methodologies as a solution. Employing such methodologies would enable African communities to define their unique identities from their unique perspectives and would help offer a long-overdue challenge to entrenched European paradigms of Africans as the “other.” To enable readers to apply a methodology systematically in investigating a phenomenon of interest to him/her, chapters in African-Centered Research Methodologies include: An introduction to the method discussed A definition of the method The sub-areas of the method A brief history and brief backgrounds of the pioneers of the method Major research questions investigated by the method Major concepts and/or theories of the method Major research topics covered by the method Types of methodological approaches employed Major academic journals and publications that publish works utilizing the method A sample of outstanding scholarly works that have employed the method A conclusion

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Book SynopsisA volume in Ethics in Practice Series Editors Robert A. Giacalone, Temple University and Carole L. Jurkiewicz, Louisiana State University The daily process of public service provision and administration is filled with value judgments and value trade-offs, and the safeguarding of just and fair processes is key to the public's trust in governing institutions. In crises, public decision-makers face complex ethical judgments under great uncertainty, timepressure, and heightened public scrutiny. A lack of attention to the ethical dimensions of crises has lead decision-makers to long-shadow crises that never reach closure. Furthermore, crises triggered by unethical conduct by public officials steadily feed people's cynicism about politicians and bureaucracy. The fact that decision-makers often are judged on how they dealt with ethical issues in crises further underlines the importance of this topic. Little scholarly attention had been paid to how ethics play into and are dealt with in situations when they matters most - in crises. In order to improve government performance we need to analyze the ethical dilemmas and normative challenges that face practitioners in crises. This book meets this challenge by presenting a public policy framework for analyzing the ethical dilemmas in crises and introduces ten empirical chapters written by prominent public administration and crisis management scholars. The cases reviewed include Abu Ghraib, the 9/11 Commission, the 2008 Financial Crisis and the Memorial Hospital Tragedy during Hurricane Katrina. Building off the empirical focus on inherent ethical challenges in crises and actor ethics in evaluation and judgment, the concluding chapter outlines important lessons about criteria for crisis decision-making and strategies, the poisoned apple of bureaucratic discretion, and the nature of post-crisis evaluations. The book is geared toward students, scholars, and practitioners concerned with public management, public sector ethics, public policy, crisis management, and the implication of these factors on business and corporate crisis management.

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Book SynopsisOpen access publishing can be used as a strategic tool to avail access to information and achieve universal literacy. Open access has gained importance over the past 15 years by making knowledge available to all, without any barrier of affordability or restrictions on using this knowledge to inform and develop. Open access contributes to scientific research excellence, disseminates research results to a wider community, and promotes multi-disciplinary and collaborative research. Issues of sustainable development and open access are major concerns in librarianship and information management, particularly as the international library and information management community is focusing on how to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.Open Access Implications for Sustainable Social, Political, and Economic Development is a pivotal reference source that provides an understanding of the concept of open access within the context of social, political, and economic development and deliberates the critical issues and challenges that face the implementation of open access and its impact on the global economy and sustainable development. While highlighting a broad range of topics including digital scholarship, open data, and ethics, this book is ideally designed for librarians, information science professionals, government officials, policymakers, academicians, researchers, and students.

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Book SynopsisSocio-legal researchers increasingly recognise the need to employ a wide variety of methods in studying law and legal phenomena, and the need to be informed by an understanding of debates about theory and method in mainstream social science. The papers in this volume illustrate how a range of topics, including EU law, ombudsmen, judges, lawyers, Shariah Councils and the quality assurance industry can be researched from a socio-legal perspective. The objective of the collection is to show how different methods can be used in researching law and legal phenomena, how methodological issues and debates in sociology are relevant to the study of law, and the importance of the debate between "structural" and "action" traditions in researching law. It also approaches the methodological problem of how sociology of law can address the content of legal practice from a variety of perspectives and discusses the relationship between pure and applied research. The editors provide a critical introduction to each of the six sections, and a general introduction on law, sociology and method. The collection will provide an invaluable resource for socio-legal researchers, law school researchers and postgraduates.Trade ReviewI found all 16 papers to be of high caliber, clearly written and organized, and this makes for engaging reading. Theory and Methods in Socio-Legal Research will doubtless prove fruitful for use in all courses in sociolegal studies, but particularly in those courses taught in British and American law schools that tend to ignore conceptual and methodological considerations. A. Javier Trevino Law & Society Review Volume 41, Number 2 (2007)Table of ContentsIntroduction Reza Banakar and Max Travers 1. Law, Sociology and Method Reza Banakar and Max Travers SECTION 1: METHOD VERSUS METHODOLOGY Introduction to Section One Reza Banakar and Max Travers 2. Ethnography and Socio-Legal Research John Flood 3. Systems Theory and Qualitative Socio-legal Research Klaus A Ziegert SECTION 2: ETHNOGRAPHY AND LAW Introduction to Section Two Reza Banakar and Max Travers 4. Courses of Mobilisation: Writing systematic micro-histories of legal discourse Thomas Scheffer 5. "Standpoint", "Difference" and Feminist Research Samia Banio 6. Researching Women's Legal Experiences in Botswana: An anthropological perspective Anne Griffiths SECTION 3: STUDYING LEGAL TEXTS Introduction to Section Three Reza Banakar and Max Travers 7. Studying Cases Empirically: A sociological method for studying discrimination cases in Sweden Reza Banakar 8. Researching Ombudsmen Mary Seneviratne 9. Discourse Analysis and the Implementation of a European Directive Bettina Lange SECTION 4: STRUCTURAL APPROACHES Introduction to Section Four Reza Banakar and Max Travers 10. How to Study the Social and Legal Position of Danish Judges Ole Hammerslev 11: Changing Maps: Empirical legal autopoesis John Paterson and Gunther Teubner SECTION 5: STUDYING LEGAL CULTURES Introduction to Section Five Reza Banakar and Max Travers 12. Doing Research into Comparative Criminal Justice David Nelken 13. Researching Legal Culture in Russia Marina Kurkchiyan SECTION 6: SOCIO-LEGAL RESEARCH IN THE UK Introduction to Section Six Reza Banakar and Max Travers 14. Constructing a Typology of Administrative Grievances Michael Adler 15. The Formalisation of Research Ethics Andrew Boon 16. Evaluation Research and Legal Services Max Travers

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. The massive expansion of the internet into every aspect of our lives creates a challenge for social researchers: can they simply transfer their traditional methods and techniques online or do they need to reinvent research methods for the new environment? As online research becomes increasingly prevalent it becomes more important for researchers to have an answer to these questions and an approach to conducting research online. This book is a straightforward, accessible introduction to social research online. It covers the key issues and concerns for social scientists: online surveys, focus groups, interviews, ethnographies and experiments, as well as discussing the implications of social media, and of online research ethics. It provides a detailed, up-to-date glossary and bibliography for those new to the area. Short, clear case studies throughout allow students to see examples of the research in practice. Wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, What is Online Research? shows social scientists of all levels - from undergraduates to established researchers - how to engage in the online environment in appropriate ways, and points the way forward for future research.Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgements List of tables (see below) NO List of figures Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. A brief history of online research methods Chapter 3. Dealing with ethical issues in online research Chapter 4. Online surveys chapter 5. Online interviews and focus groups Chapter 6. Online ethnographies Chapter 7. Online experiments Chapter 8. Where next for online methods? Glossary Bibliography Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book invites readers to explore the nature of qualitative research, and to recognise the varied and conflicting forms it can take. It examines how these contrast with quantitative work, as well as how they differ from journalism and imaginative literature. The book describes various methodological philosophies that have shaped qualitative work, as well as different types of orientation to be found within it today. It offers clear definitions of key terms and concepts, and also a detailed exploration of recent disputes among qualitative researchers, with a view to showing how differences in practice relate to underlying commitments. This book will be a vital resource for both new and experienced researchers.Trade ReviewQualitative research has become a vast and complex approach to understanding social life, riddled with diversity and debate. Martyn Hammersley has, in this short text, managed to introduce all of this complexity and diversity without baffling the reader. It is an inspiring and exciting text, full of relevant examples illustrating the diversity of qualitative research today. Written by an undoubted authority in the field, this accessible book should whet the appetite of any would-be qualitative researcher. * Karen O'Reilly, Professor of Sociology, University of Loughborough *This is a well written, authoritative text on qualitative research, written by a leading scholar in the field. The style is accessible without being patronizing; it deals with both methodology and research practice; it provides helpful definitions and typologies; it gives a sense of both the distinctiveness and diversity of qualitative approaches to social research. I enjoyed reading it. I think it will have a broad appeal to those new to qualitative research, to students and to those working within the field. In that sense it manages to be both introductory and thought provoking. * Amanda Coffey, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences, UK *Table of ContentsContents Preface Chapter 1 Defining qualitative research Chapter 2 Methodological philosophies Chapter 3 Divergent analytic styles Chapter 4 Two methodological disputes Conclusion References

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. There has been an increasing interest in research ethics over the last decade given the increasing ethical regulation of social research. 'Ethical literacy' encourages researchers to understand and engage with the ethical issues that emerge in the process of research. This book provides a short, succinct and accessible overview of the field, highlighting the key issues and everyday ethical dilemmas that researchers are likely to face in different contexts. Covering a range of methods, the book provides clear guidance for researchers on how to identify an approach that fits with their moral and intellectual framework. It explores ethical issues relating to 'traditional' research methods as well as to new and emerging methods and approaches - particularly visual and online methods.Trade ReviewAn excellent text - clear, thoughtful and comprehensive. * Janet Boddy, Reader in Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Sussex, UK *A well-written accessible introduction to the topic. -- Libby Bishop, Senior Officer Research Data Management, University of Essex, UKThis short book reflects years of experience with qualitative research and presents insights gained from research into ethical approaches. Wiles brings home the point that ethical review is not an exercise like jumping through hoops set out by regulations and once you’ve ticked all the right boxes for the committee you can forget about them and, this is the real benefit of the book, demonstrates how exciting and rewarding the engagement with research ethics is. Research ethic committees may wish to adopt this short book as welcome present to new members. -- Dr. Ulrike Hohmann, Plymouth University, UKA brilliant and insightful book that explores the ethical aspects of qualitative research. Has been recommended to my students for background reading in order to better understand the ethical concerns of qualitative research. -- Amer Khan Shehzad, University of Central Lancaster, UKThis is a useful introductory text for anyone who is new to qualitative research ethics. It is short, well-structured and clearly written ... I was pleased to see that the risk and safety chapter includes not only risks to participants but also risks to researchers, which often seem to be overlooked ... Overall, though, I think Wiles has done a good job of packing a huge subject into a small container. She recognises that readers are likely to need further information, and provides four pages of useful reading and resources. -- Helen Kara * Social Research Association Research Matters Magazine *Table of ContentsContents Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Thinking Ethically: Approaches To Research Ethics Chapter 3 Informed Consent Chapter 4 Anonymity and Confidentiality Chapter 5 Risk and Safety Chapter 6 Ethical Dilemmas Chapter 7 Where Next for Research Ethics? Further Reading and Resources References Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on bloomsburycollections.com. What is Qualitative Interviewing? is an accessible and comprehensive ‘what is’ and ‘how to’ methods book. It is distinctive in emphasising the importance of good practice in understanding and undertaking qualitative interviews within the framework of a clear philosophical position. Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide clear and succinct explanations of a range of philosophies and theories of how to know about the social world, and a thorough discussion of how to go about researching it using interviews. A series of short chapters explain and illustrate a range of interview types and practices. Drawing on their own and colleagues’ experiences Holland and Edwards provide real research examples as informative illustrations of qualitative interviewing in practice, and the use of a range of creative interview tools. They discuss the use of new technologies as well as tackling enduring issues around asking and listening and power dynamics in research. Written in a clear and accessible style the book concludes with a useful annotated bibliography of key texts and journals in the field. What is Qualitative Interviewing? provides a vital resource for both new and experienced social science researchers across a range of disciplines.Trade ReviewProfessors Rosalind Edwards and Janet Holland provide an easily digestible introductory text for newcomers to the qualitative aspects of social research. Research can be daunting for beginners who are keen to engage in the interview process as a key method. What is Qualitative Interviewing? will no doubt provide the confidence for students to consider best practice when interviewing their participants ... A most definite must read for those plunging into their very first qualitative interviews. -- Sadia Habib * The Sociological Imagination *We learn, with the utmost clarity and conciseness, a great deal about the key terms, the development of the method, forms of qualitative interviewing, research tools, practical aspects of conducting an interview ... and strengths, issues and the future of qualitative interviewing ... A really successful and readable book that will help you to understand and reflect upon qualitative interviewing. * Soziologische Revue (Bloomsbury translation) *Good, easy, accessible book for undergraduate teaching that fits with what I teach and signposts students well. Succinct, but not too basic either. Good introduction to qualitative interviewing. -- Kaye Richards, Liverpool John Moores University, UKTable of ContentsWhat do the Key Terms Used about Qualitative Interviews Mean? How Have Qualitative Interviews Developed? What Forms can Qualitative Interviews Take? Where can Qualitative Interviews Take Place? What Sort of Research Tools can be Used in Conducting Qualitative Interviews? What are the Practicalities Involved in Conducting Qualitative Interviews? What are the Strengths and Challenges in Using Qualitative Interviews? What Criticisms Have Been Made of Qualitative Interviews, and Where Next for Qualitative Interviewing?

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book introduces the non-specialist reader to the principal ideas, nature and purpose of social network analysis. Social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals achieve their goals. Social network theory maps these relationships between individual actors. Though relatively new on the scene it has become hugely influential across the social sciences. Assuming no prior knowledge of quantitative sociology, this book presents the key ideas in context through examples and illustrations. Using a structured approach to understanding work in this area, John Scott signposts further reading and online sources so readers can develop their knowledge and skills to become practitioners of this research method. A series of Frequently Asked Questions takes the reader through the main objections raised against social network analysis and answers the various queries that will come up once the reader has worked their way through the book.Trade ReviewA very good text tackling a complex issue, highly recommended. * Stuart Agnew, University Campus Suffolk, UK *Table of ContentsSeries Page Series Foreword List of Figures Introduction History of Social Network Analysis Key Concepts and Measures Applications of Network Analysis Criticisms and Frequently Asked Questions Software for Social Network Analysis References Index

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Book SynopsisChoosing a research method can be bewildering. How can you be sure which methodology is appropriate, or whether your chosen combination of methods is consistent with the theoretical perspective you want to take? The Foundations of Social Research links methodology and theory with great clarity and precision, showing students and researchers how to navigate the maze of conflicting terminology. The major epistemological stances and theoretical perspectives that colour and shape current social research are detailed: positivism, constructionism, interpretivism, critical inquiry, feminism and postmodernism. Crotty reveals the philosophical origins of these schools of inquiry and shows how various disciplines contribute to the practice of social research as it is known today. The Foundations of Social Research is essential reading for new and experienced researchers, students and professionals, in the social and health sciences.'' .a wonderful piece of writing, expounding the philosophical and theoretical considerations of the research process for social researchers in a clear, fair minded and friendly way.''Clive Seale, Department of Sociology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

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Book SynopsisThis open access book discusses challenges in school improvement research and different methodological approaches that have the potential to foster school improvement research. Research on school improvement and accountability analysis places high demands on a study’s design and method. The potential of combining the depth of case studies with the breath of quantitative measures and analyses in a mixed-methods design seems very promising. Consequently, the focus of the book lies on innovative methodological approaches.The book chapters address design, measurement, and analysis developments as well as theoretical and conceptual developments. The relevance of the research presented in the chapters for educational accountability is discussed in the book’s discussion chapter.More specifically, authors present one specific innovative methodological approach and clarify that approach with a concrete example in the context of school improvement, based on empirical data when possible. In this way, this book helps researchers designing complex useful studies.Table of Contents1. Editorial, Introduction; A. Oude Groote Beverborg, K. Maag Merki, T. Feldhoff, & F. Radisch. 2. School Improvement Capacity – A Review and a Reconceptualisation from the Perspectives of Educational Effectiveness and Educational Policy; D. Reynolds & A. Neeleman. 3. Why must everything be so complicated? Demands and challenges on methods for analysing school improvement processes; T. Feldhoff & F. Radisch. 4. School improvement Capacity – theory and methodological challenges; K. Maag Merki. 5. Can lacking measurement invariance in school improvement research be interpreted?; M. Sauerwein & D. Theis. 6. The relationship between professional community practices and other school organizational and educational practices in 23 European countries; C. Lomos. 7. Reframing the nature of inquiry in educational leadership research; D. Ng F. S.. 8. Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) as a methodological approach to assess school improvement processes; A. Oude Groote Beverborg, M. Wijnants, P.J.C. Sleegers, & T. Feldhoff. 9. Learning in collaboration: Exploring processes and outcomes through a mixed methods design; G. Devos & B. Vanblaere. 10. Group-actor-partnership-interdependence-model; K. Schudel. 11. The structure of leadership language: Rhetorical methods for studying instructional improvement; R. Lowenhaupt. 12. Designing and piloting a leadership daily practice log: Using logs to study the practice of leadership; J.P. Spillane & A. Zuberi. 13. Editorial, Discussion; A. Oude Groote Beverborg, K. Maag Merki, T. Feldhoff, & F. Radisch.

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Book SynopsisThis textbook guides the reader on how to undertake high-quality literature reviews, from traditional narrative to protocol-driven reviews. The guidance covers a broad range of purposes, disciplines and research paradigms. Whether the literature review is part of a research project, doctoral study, dissertation or a stand-alone study, the book offers approaches, methods, tools, tips and guidelines to produce more effective literature reviews in an efficient manner. The numerous examples are drawn from an array of subject areas, such as economics, healthcare, education, medicine, psychology, software engineering amongst others. This makes it worthwhile for a wide range of studies and for reviews into evidence-based interventions, policies, practices and treatments. There is attention given to presenting, reporting and publishing literature reviews. With the additional clarity brought about by explanatory tables and graphs, this textbook is a ‘must-have’ for all students, researchers, academics and practitioners at any stage of their project or career when engaging with literature. In addition, citizens, policymakers and practitioners will benefit from the guidance with better insight into how literature reviews could and should have been conducted.Table of ContentsChapter 1 IntroductionPART I: Basic Concepts for Effective Literature ReviewsChapter 2 Objectives and Positioning of [Systematic] Literature ReviewsChapter 3 Developing Review QuestionsChapter 4 Search Strategies for PublicationsChapter 5 Setting Inclusion and Exclusion CriteriaPART II: Quantitative Analysis MethodsChapter 6 Meta-AnalysisChapter 7 Other Quantitative MethodsPART III: Qualitative Analysis MethodsChapter 8 Meta-AggregationChapter 9 Grounded Theory and Discourse AnalysisChapter 10 Thematic AnalysisChapter 11 Meta-EthnographyChapter 12 Combining Quantitative and Qualitative AnalysisPART IV: Reporting Literature ReviewsChapter 13: Reporting Standards for Literature ReviewsChapter 14: Data Management and RepositoriesChapter 15: Writing Literature ReviewsChapter 16: Presenting Literature ReviewsEPILOGUEThe Dissenting Voices

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together a series of discussions by scholars from a range of disciplinary, (trans)regional and epistemic perspectives that came out of the Berlin-based "co2libri" networking initiative, with longstanding collaborative partners based in the global South. "Co2libri" stands for "conceptual collaboration: living borderless research interaction". As an interdisciplinary and transregional oriented initiative, co2libri envisages a multicentric perspective that integrates neglected positions of Southern theory and praxis into the heart of academic conversations. Co2libri’s collaborative endeavor builds on long-standing active connections with partners in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Instead of setting an agenda from the North, it proposes to figure out ways forward through collaborative engagement, building on relationships of mutual trust. Using formats that facilitate substantial and open-ended discussion, we are re-thinking theory and method, academic practices, and research ethics, while keeping material inequalities in view. Contributors to this edited volume are working toward the implementation of various innovative activities, research perspectives and collaboration formats which all subscribe to the principle of dialogue on equal footing with scholars and activists based in divergent positionalities along and beyond the Global North-South divide. In different ways, the authors work toward the goal of producing more adequate, and more sensitive, critical knowledge, and applying a fresh view to approach, methods, and ethical standards. Overall, the volume works, sometimes in exploratory ways, with alternative frames of reference while it presents diverse theorizations of lived experiences.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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