How to do your Social Research Project or Dissertation
Published on 8. October 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
412 pages
978-0-19-881106-0 (ISBN)
Description
How to do your Social Research Project or Dissertation provides a straight-talking, easy-to-navigate, and reassuring guide to support final-year social science undergraduates. Uniquely shaped by real social science undergraduates from a range of institutions, the book includes their advice to help you through with what can be a daunting, but rewarding stage of your degree. From the look and feel of the book, to the development of the chapter content and the advice it provides, students have been involved at every stage of the book's development to ensure it is focused on what's important to you.
Expert advice from real supervisors across the subject disciplines in the 'Working with your supervisor' feature also helps you to make the most of research supervision, and learn from the experience of real researchers in your chosen field. By providing anecdotes, words of wisdom, scenarios, or simply reminders, hints, and tips on how best to prepare for meetings, and communicate effectively, How to do your Social Research Project or Dissertation is the most complete guide to facilitate the student-supervisor working relationship.
Dedicated chapters cover all the typical stages of a research project or dissertation in the social sciences, while their carefully constructed structure allows you to quickly and efficiently navigate the content. Throughout the book, you'll focus on three key questions: 'What do I need to know?', 'What do I need to think about?' and 'What do I need to do?'. In so doing, each chapter gives you a clear and direct checklist of actions as you progress through your dissertation or research project, keeping you organized, motivated, and confident.
The book's online resources include a wealth of free-to-access materials, including:
Author videos - Additional advice around key challenges for each chapter, including developing a research idea, managing your time, and writing up your dissertation.
Supervision guidance Advice and tips on how to approach your supervision meetings, including tasks to help you plan for meetings and to build a productive relationship with your supervisor.
Doing academic presentations Support with planning and delivering presentations, including tips on what a dissertation presentation might include, as well as author videos showing examples of a good and bad presentations.
_ Dissertation templates Templates for dissertations, showing how dissertations might look different depending on which theoretical and methodological approaches you use. This includes notes on chapter content and tips on dissertation structure.
Research plan templates Templates for you to use for planning your project, including helping you to get started and complete the dissertation, and to manage your time using key milestones and recommended timescales and targets.
Guidance on developing and designing your research question - A set of questions divided into categories and designed to help you formulate ideas, develop your thinking, set your research questions, help you later on in the process to consolidate your argument and consider the contribution of your work.
Delve Even Deeper Even more Delve Deeper recommendations and research suggestions, including a list of freely available data sets, links and resources to help you understand SPSS and NVivo processes and tools, analysis tools and help for specific research methods, and guidance on using vlogs, blogs, and other public resources, as well as using social media for your research.
Bad, better, and best examples of literature reviews, questionnaires, interview questions, and observation plans Examples of each of these key elements of your project deliberately designed to demonstrate how you can improve your work, and highlighted with annotations to help you gain a deeper understanding of how best to approach these stages of your project.
Examples of research proposals Examples of research proposals for different social sciences to give you that extra support and an idea of what to expect. Here you will find tips on how to build a proposal and consider how this is useful for planning the dissertation.
What do I need to think about? and What do I need to do? checklists digital versions of the end-of-chapter checklists for you to download and use.
Expert advice from real supervisors across the subject disciplines in the 'Working with your supervisor' feature also helps you to make the most of research supervision, and learn from the experience of real researchers in your chosen field. By providing anecdotes, words of wisdom, scenarios, or simply reminders, hints, and tips on how best to prepare for meetings, and communicate effectively, How to do your Social Research Project or Dissertation is the most complete guide to facilitate the student-supervisor working relationship.
Dedicated chapters cover all the typical stages of a research project or dissertation in the social sciences, while their carefully constructed structure allows you to quickly and efficiently navigate the content. Throughout the book, you'll focus on three key questions: 'What do I need to know?', 'What do I need to think about?' and 'What do I need to do?'. In so doing, each chapter gives you a clear and direct checklist of actions as you progress through your dissertation or research project, keeping you organized, motivated, and confident.
The book's online resources include a wealth of free-to-access materials, including:
Author videos - Additional advice around key challenges for each chapter, including developing a research idea, managing your time, and writing up your dissertation.
Supervision guidance Advice and tips on how to approach your supervision meetings, including tasks to help you plan for meetings and to build a productive relationship with your supervisor.
Doing academic presentations Support with planning and delivering presentations, including tips on what a dissertation presentation might include, as well as author videos showing examples of a good and bad presentations.
_ Dissertation templates Templates for dissertations, showing how dissertations might look different depending on which theoretical and methodological approaches you use. This includes notes on chapter content and tips on dissertation structure.
Research plan templates Templates for you to use for planning your project, including helping you to get started and complete the dissertation, and to manage your time using key milestones and recommended timescales and targets.
Guidance on developing and designing your research question - A set of questions divided into categories and designed to help you formulate ideas, develop your thinking, set your research questions, help you later on in the process to consolidate your argument and consider the contribution of your work.
Delve Even Deeper Even more Delve Deeper recommendations and research suggestions, including a list of freely available data sets, links and resources to help you understand SPSS and NVivo processes and tools, analysis tools and help for specific research methods, and guidance on using vlogs, blogs, and other public resources, as well as using social media for your research.
Bad, better, and best examples of literature reviews, questionnaires, interview questions, and observation plans Examples of each of these key elements of your project deliberately designed to demonstrate how you can improve your work, and highlighted with annotations to help you gain a deeper understanding of how best to approach these stages of your project.
Examples of research proposals Examples of research proposals for different social sciences to give you that extra support and an idea of what to expect. Here you will find tips on how to build a proposal and consider how this is useful for planning the dissertation.
What do I need to think about? and What do I need to do? checklists digital versions of the end-of-chapter checklists for you to download and use.
Reviews / Votes
Something I wish I had when I started my dissertation! I liked that the first chapter emphasized why social research is so important and why it is necessary - I found this quite motivating as it highlights something that is quite easy to forget when in the middle of the project. Furthermore, I like that each chapter has a specific topic and objective. Although some of the information is already in my module handbook, it is really useful to have a book like this that has everything in one place and makes it easy to find answers to any questions students might be having. Overall I think it will be a very helpful book to future students. * Vilde Bye Dale, Student of Modern History and Politics, University of Essex * The tone is very positive and encouraging, which makes the project seem as a less daunting task - which is great! * Megan Robinson, Student of Criminological and Forensic Psychology, University of Bolton * I wish I had this book ready at the start of my dissertation. I usually just rely on the module handbook, but I have realized from reading the first few chapters of this book that it has so much more useful and relevant advice to offer which would have been very useful during the writing of my bachelors dissertation. The style of writing is appropriate as it is relaxed, engaging, informative, and easy to understand for students who would like as little stress as possible during this time. * Ashley Neat, Student of International Relations, University of Groningen * I think the book would make an excellent resource for any student in their final year project. The chapters that I have read are very helpful, and would certainly purchase and recommend to fellow students. I think the 'Finding your Way' pointers and 'What do I need to do?' lists are very helpful. From what I have read the book would be easy to dip in and out of. * Julie Keaveney, Student of Counselling with Mentoring, Huddersfield University * This is very insightful and would aid me greatly in my research. If I would have had it from the beginning, then I think I would feel more organized, and ready to approach my dissertation more willingly; with much more of a positive and 'can-do' attitude, rather than that of dread and anxiety. * Ellie Fitzpatrick, Student of Sociology and Criminology, University of Salford * This is a very promising book, and I only wish it were out now. The segments sent for review have already actually helped with my dissertation! * James Rivett, Student of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent * This is extremely comprehensive and I should imagine is a fantastic resource for students embarking on social research. Complex ideas are expressed in straightforward and accessible ways and students are well guided through each stage of the research process. * Dr Anna Tarrant, Reader in Sociology, University of Lincoln * This book is an excellent resource for undergraduate students in the social sciences who are about to start their first research project. The book introduces all the significant tips and potential pitfalls students are likely to encounter, and answers most questions I tend to be asked as supervisor. As such, it is also a very useful resource for supervisors - to direct students to, but also to give a good idea of what kind of advice might be useful to give at different stages of the process. * Dr Ingrid A. Medby, Senior Lecturer in Political Geography, Oxford Brookes University * A down-to-earth, straightforward, reliable, accessible how-to guide which treats students as peers and demystifies the research process. * Dr Siobhan McAndrew, Lecturer in Sociology with Quantitative Research Methods, University of Bristol * The layout, pace and language all contribute to demystifying the fear associated with such a large and daunting piece of work and the pedagogic features interspersed throughout the book act as encouraging and thought-provoking reminders that it is all going to be okay! * Dr Mark Holton, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Plymouth * I think the authors do a great job of conveying useful advice respectfully not condescendingly. * Dr Michael Pugh, Lecturer in Politics, University of the West of Scotland *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
623 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-881106-0 (9780198811060)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr Tom Clark is a Lecturer in Research Methods at the University of Sheffield, UK. He is interested in all aspects of method and methodology, particularly with respect to learning and teaching. His other interests have variously focussed on the sociology of evil, student experiences of higher education, and football fandom. Tom's work has been published in a wide variety of journals, including, Sociology, Qualitative Research, Social Policy and Administration, Teaching in Higher Education, the Journal of Education and Work, and Qualitative Social Work.
Dr Liam Foster is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Sheffield, UK, who specializes in pensions and theories of ageing. Liam also has a longstanding interest in methods and has published widely in this area, including Beginning Statistics for Social Scientists (with Sir Ian Diamond and Dr Julie Jefferies). He has been an invited speaker at the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, the European Parliament in Brussels, the House of Lords and the UN in New York, as a world leading expert on ageing. Liam is a member of the UK Social Policy Association Executive Committee. He is also the Managing Editor of Social Policy and Society.
Alan Bryman was Professor of Organizational and Social Research at the University of Leicester from 2005 to 2017. Prior to this he was Professor of Social Research at Loughborough University for thirty-one years. His main research interests were in leadership, especially in higher education, research methods (particularly mixed methods research), and the 'Disneyization' and 'McDonaldization' of modern society. Alan was also the author of the bestselling textbook Social Research Methods (Oxford University Press, 2015) as well as contributing to a range of leading journals: he was an extraordinarily well-cited and internationally renowned social scientist.
Dr Liam Foster is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Sheffield, UK, who specializes in pensions and theories of ageing. Liam also has a longstanding interest in methods and has published widely in this area, including Beginning Statistics for Social Scientists (with Sir Ian Diamond and Dr Julie Jefferies). He has been an invited speaker at the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, the European Parliament in Brussels, the House of Lords and the UN in New York, as a world leading expert on ageing. Liam is a member of the UK Social Policy Association Executive Committee. He is also the Managing Editor of Social Policy and Society.
Alan Bryman was Professor of Organizational and Social Research at the University of Leicester from 2005 to 2017. Prior to this he was Professor of Social Research at Loughborough University for thirty-one years. His main research interests were in leadership, especially in higher education, research methods (particularly mixed methods research), and the 'Disneyization' and 'McDonaldization' of modern society. Alan was also the author of the bestselling textbook Social Research Methods (Oxford University Press, 2015) as well as contributing to a range of leading journals: he was an extraordinarily well-cited and internationally renowned social scientist.
Author
Lecturer in Research MethodsLecturer in Research Methods, The University of Sheffield
Senior Lecturer in Social Policy & Social WorkSenior Lecturer in Social Policy & Social Work, The University of Sheffield
Professor of Organizational and Social ResearchProfessor of Organizational and Social Research, Formerly of The University of Leicester
Content
1: Introduction 2: The research process 3: Getting started 4: Developing a research idea 5: Conducting a literature search 6: Reviewing the literature 7: Building your project 8: Ethics 9: Writing a research proposal 10: Sampling: which and how many people do I need? 11: Collecting quantitative data 12: Collecting qualitative data 13: Analyzing quantitative data 14: Analyzing qualitative data 15: Working with documents 16: Evaluating your project 17: Writing up your research