How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students

Clear, coherent and readable, this bestselling guide is now in its fifth edition, providing easy to follow advice for anyone undertaking a research project. Covering each stage of the process, from choosing a research question to collecting and analysing data, and finally writing up findings, this book equips students with the essential tools for success.
 
This new edition features:

• Case studies weaved throughout giving real-life examples of the issues and/or methods being discussed.
• Practical activities, seminar tasks and checklists.
• Updated content with the latest research methods and ethical considerations.
• Details on new AI research tools and how they can be used.
 
Designed for students in the applied social sciences, this book aligns with assessment criteria and provides the essential support you need to complete a research project successfully.

Table of Contents:
1 Your Introduction 2 Project Management, Ethics and Getting Clearance 3 The Literature Review, Part 1: Searching 4 The Literature Review, Part 2: Developing a Narrative 5 Methodology, Part 1: Deciding on an Approach 6 Methodology, Part 2: Designing your Research 7 Methodology, Part 3: The Design Frames 8 Data Gathering 9 How to Analyse and Discuss the Information you Gather 10 Concluding and Writing Up

About the Author :
Being of a nervous disposition as a child, Gary Thomas failed to write anything on his 11-plus examination paper, which inaction took him to secondary modern school. He eventually became a teacher, then an educational psychologist, then a professor of education at the University of Birmingham, where his teaching, research and writing have focused on inclusive education and the methods used in social science research. He has led a wide range of research projects and has received research funding from the AHRC, the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the Department for Education, charities such as Barnardo’s and the Cadmean Trust, local authorities and a range of other organisations. He has written or edited 30 books, lots of boring academic articles, and quite interesting essays on the state of education in the national press. He was the editor of journals such as the British Educational Research Journal and Educational Review. He has two grown-up daughters, one daughter at school, and two grandchildren. He likes, in alphabetical order, birds, chess, cycling, dogs, his family, gardening, reading and writing. Despite supporting Aston Villa football club, he maintains an optimistic outlook on life.