Readme First for a User's Guide to Qualitative Research

Providing beginning researchers with the tools that they need to differentiate between approaches to fieldwork, this book guides readers on how different types of qualitative research fit different purposes and produce varied research experiences and outcomes. The Second Edition features the same clear, conversational, and friendly approach. In chapters full of practical advice, authors Lyn Richards and Janice M Morse take the reader through the steps of research design, software choice and use, data making, coding, abstracting and presenting a study.

Table of Contents:
Preface Why Readme First? Goals Methods and Their Integrity Methodological Diversity and Informed Choice No Mysteries! Learning by Doing It: Qualitative Research as a Craft Qualitative Research as a Challenge Using Readme The Shape of the Book What to Expect Doing Qualitative Research Resources Thinking Research The Integrity of Qualitative Research Methodological Purposiveness Methodological Congruence The Armchair Walkthrough And Now-Your Topic? What can you aim for? Summary Resources Selecting a Method Commonalities and Differences Phenomenology Ethnography Grounded Theory Additional Qualitative Methods Summary Resources Qualitative Research Design The Levels of Design Planning Design Doing Design Designing for Validity Project Pacing Choosing Your Software Overall Project Design Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Projects Using Your Software for Research Design Summary Resources Inside Analysis Making Data What Are Data (and What Are Not) Ways of Making Data Who Makes Data? Transforming Data Managing Data The Role of Data Yourself as Data Using Your Software for Managing Data Summary Resources Coding Getting Inside the Data Storing Ideas Doing Coding Theme-ing Purposiveness of Coding Tips and Traps: Handling Codes and Coding Using Your Software for Coding Summary Resources Abstracting The First Step: Categorizing The Next Step: Conceptualizing Doing Abstraction Managing Abstraction Using Your Software for Managing Ideas Summary Resources Revisiting Methodological Congruence Phenomenology Ethnography Grounded Theory Summary Resources Getting It Right On Getting It Right and Knowing If It's Wrong Ensuring Rigor in the Design Phase Ensuring Rigor While Conducting a Project When Is It Done? Demonstrating Rigor on Completion of the Project Summary Resources Writing It Up Ready to Write? Re-revisiting Methodological Congruence Protecting Participants Evaluate Your Writing Polishing Using your Software for Writing Writing your Thesis or Dissertation Writing an Article for Publication After Publication, Then What? Summary Resources Beginning Your Project Groundwork for Beginning Your Project Writing Your Proposal Ensuring Ethical Research Summary Resources Getting Started Why Is It So Hard to Start? How to Start? Congratulations, You've Started! Resources Appendix 1: Using the Software Tutorials Appendix 2: Applying for funding

About the Author :
Lyn Richards (B.A. Hon., political science; M.A., sociology) is a qualitative research writer and consultant and Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Business at RMIT University in Melbourne. As a family sociologist, she published four books and many papers on Australian families and women's roles. As a methodologist, she taught graduate and undergraduate qualitative research at La Trobe University and went on to write for and teach the teachers. Her most recent book is Handling Qualitative Data, Second Edition (SAGE, 2009). In university research with Tom Richards, she developed the NUD*IST software and founded QSR International, Melbourne. In interaction with the researchers using the software, and later development teams at QSR, she worked on the design of the subsequent versions (to N6) and then NVivo, as a principal member of the QSR software-development teams and author of the software's documentation. She was an invited speaker at all of the conferences in the first decade of qualitative computing and a leading teacher and trainer internationally in qualitative computing and the handling of qualitative data. Richards has taught qualitative methods and qualitative software to some 4,000 researchers in 15 countries, and learned from them all. Janice M. Morse, PhD (Nurs), PhD (Anthro), FAAN is a professor and Presidential Endowed Chair at the University of Utah College of Nursing, and Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta, Canada., from 1991-1996, she also held a position as professor at The Pennsylvania State University. From 1997-2007, she was the founding Director and Scientific Director of the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta, founding editor for the International Journal of Qualitative Methods, and Editor of the Qual Press monograph series. She remains the founding editor for Qualitative Health Research, (now in Volume 2, Sage1), is currently editor for the monograph series Developing Qualitative Inquiry, and The Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry (Left Coast Press). Her research programs are in the areas of suffering and comforting, preventing patient falls, and developing qualitative methods. In 2011, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Qualitative Inquiry from the International Center for Qualitative Inquiry, was an inaugural inductee into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame (2010), the 5th recipient of the Episteme Award (also Sigma Theta Tau). She received awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Newcastle (Australia) and Athabasca University (Canada). She is the author of 460 articles and chapters and 19 books on qualitative research methods, suffering, comforting and patient falls.

Review :
"This easy to read text should leave new researchers feeling confident to begin." -- Patricia A. Quereshi 20090211