Student Research and Report Writing E-Book

Gabe T. Wang

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 521

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

This is an invaluable, concise, all-in-one guide for carrying out student research and writing a paper, adaptable to course use and suitable for use by students independently, it successfully guides students along every step of the way.

• Allows students to better manage their research projects
• Exercises and worksheets break down the research process into small steps and walk students through each stage of the research project
• Offers real-world and lively examples that are attractive and relevant to students
• Based on twenty years of experience in teaching research techniques to students in a way that avoids the methodology “overkill” from encyclopaedic and intimidating textbooks

Leseprobe

Student Research and Report Writing

From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper

Gabe T. Wang and Keumjae Park

This edition first published 2016 © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Registered OfficeJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

Editorial Offices350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

The right of Gabe T. Wang and Keumjae Park to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for.

Hardback   9781118963906

Paperback   9781118963913

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover image: © Stuart Dee / Getty

Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Website

Chapter 1 Introduction: Start Your Research Journey

What Is Research?

What Type of Research Project Do You Have?

What Are the Procedures for Scientific Research?

Will There Be Bends and Detours in the Research Process?

How to Embark on Your Research Journey

How Will This Book Help You?

How Is This Book Organized?

Chapter 2 Topic Selection: Getting Started

Where Can You Start to Find a Good Topic?

How Can You Narrow Down Your Topic?

What Topic Is Appropriate for Your Research?

How Do You Know the Topic You Selected Is a “Good Topic”?

Can You Change Your Topic?

Exercises for Chapter 2

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 2

Chapter 3 Searching for Information

What Is Valid and Reliable Information?

What Do You Need to Prepare Before Searching for Information?

Should You Search in Libraries or on the Internet?

What Different Sources Are Available?

How Do You Go about Doing Library Research?

How Do You Conduct a Search Using Journal Article Databases?

How Do You Keep Organized Records of the Information Found?

How Do You Use the Information You Found?

Exercises for Chapter 3

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Reviewing the Literature

What Is a Literature Review?

Why Do You Need a Literature Review?

What Does the Literature Review Entail?

How to Sort Your Literature

How Do You Read Your Literature and Take Notes?

How Do You Evaluate and Synthesize Your Reviewed Literature?

How Do You Write Your Literature Review?

Exercises for Chapter 4

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Research Questions and Methods

What Are Your Research Questions?

What Are the Goals of Your Research?

What Method Should You Use in Your Research?

How Do You Use Theory in Your Research?

Are Ethical Matters Important in Your Research?

What Ethical Issues Should You Pay Attention To?

Exercises for Chapter 5

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Steps of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs

What Are Your Independent and Dependent Variables?

How Do You Select a Sample to Study from Your Target Population?

What Is an Acceptable Sample Size for Surveys?

How Do You Turn Your Concepts into Variables in Surveys?

What Are Levels of Measurement and Why Do They Matter?

What Do You Need to Know about Qualitative Research Designs?

How Do You Construct Your Interview Questions?

How Do You Select People for Interviews?

What Should You Do to Have Productive Interviews?

What Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods Can You Consider?

Exercises for Chapter 6

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Writing a Research Proposal

What Should You Include in Your Research Proposal?

Do You Need a Title for Your Proposal?

What Should You Write in Your Introduction?

What Should You Write in Your Literature Reviews?

What Should You Write about Your Research Methods?

What Else Do You Include in Your Proposal?

What Format Should You Use to List the References?

What Writing Styles Are Appropriate for Research Proposals?

Incorporating Feedback from Faculty Supervisors

Exercises for Chapter 7

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 7

Chapter 8 Practical Issues While Carrying Out Research

Do You Have to Get Your Research Project Approved by Your University?

How Can You Carry Out Your Data Collection Effectively?

What Are Common Practical Problems in Qualitative Research?

What Ethical Dilemmas Will You Encounter in the Field Research Process?

What Should You Do When You Face Ethical Dilemmas?

What Problems Are Common in Questionnaire Surveys?

How Can You Conduct Your Questionnaire Surveys Effectively?

Maintaining Good Communications with Your Supervisor

How to Complete Your Research Project on Time

Exercises for Chapter 8

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 8

Chapter 9 Quantitative Data Analysis

How Do You Start Entering Data From Your Survey or Interview Questionnaire?

Why Do You Need to Know the Levels of Your Measurement?

What Computer Data Analysis Procedure Should You Use for Your Research?

To Provide Descriptive Information about Your Respondents, Use Frequency, or Descriptive Analysis

To Determine If Two Variables Are Related to Each Other, Use Cross Tabulations and Chi-square Analysis

To Calculate Correlations between Two Variables That Are Measured at Interval or Ratio Level, Use Pearson’s r

To Know Whether an Independent Variable Predicts or Explains an Effect on a Dependent Variable, Use Regression Analysis

To Predict or Explain the Effects of Several Independent Variables on a Dependent Variable, Use Multiple Regression Analysis

To Test If Two Means Are Significantly Different, Use the t-test

To Determine Whether More Than Two Means Are Significantly Different, Use Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Exercises for Chapter 9

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 9

Notes

Chapter 10 Qualitative Data Analysis

What Is the Purpose of Qualitative Data Analysis?

Do You Need to Transcribe All Your Interviews?

Where Do You Start?

What Is the Process of Inductive Analysis? Steps of Grounded Theory

What Is the Process of Deductive Coding in Content Analysis?

What Tools Can You Use to Organize and Summarize Codes?

How Do You Write about Findings from a Qualitative Analysis?

Exercises for Chapter 10

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Writing the Final Report

What Should You Include in Your Final Report?

How Is Your Final Report Different from Your Proposal?

What Should You Consider Before You Start Writing Your Final Report?

Title of Your Final Report or Thesis

An Abstract of Your Final Report

Introduction

Literature Reviews

Research Methods

Findings

Discussions

Conclusions

References

How to Write a Report for Qualitative Research

Papers Based on Qualitative Field Research

Historical Research

Comparative Research

A Final Check

Exercises for Chapter 11

Your Project Outcome after Chapter 11

Index

EULA

List of Tables

Chapter 9

Table 9.1

Chapter 10

Table 10.1

Chapter 11

Table 11.1

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1

Process of Scientific Research.

Figure 1.2

Iterative Process of Social Science Research.

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1

WorldCat Search Results for “Genetically Modified Food.”

Source:

© 2014 Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC). Used with permission of OCLC.

Figure 3.2

Zetoc by Mimas at the University of Manchester.

Source:

Zetoc Service by Mimas at the University of Manchester.

Figure 3.3

U.S. Library of Congress Search Screen.

Figure 3.4

Designating a Search Field to Specify Your Search.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of EBSCOHost.

Figure 3.5

Keyword Search Using “All of My Terms” Option.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of EBSCOHost

Figure 3.6

Keyword Search Using Boolean Phrase.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of EBSCOHost.

Figure 3.7

Use of AND and OR.

Figure 3.8

Limit Your Search.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of ProQuest, LLC.

Figure 3.9

Thesaurus Feature in ProQuest Central.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of ProQuest, LLC.

Figure 3.10

Using Information inside Your Citation to Expand the Search.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of ProQuest, LLC.

Figure 3.11

Using Export Menu to Send Results to a Citation Management System.

Source:

Reproduced with permission of ProQuest, LLC.

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1

The Process of Literature Review.

Figure 4.2

Synthesizing with a Visual Map.

Chapter 9

Figure 9.1

SPSS Window. Source: IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.2

Variable View Window. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.3

Data View Window. Source: IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.4

Data View Window with Data. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.5

Frequency Analysis Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.6

Descriptive Analysis Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.7

Cross Tabulation and Chi-square Test Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.8

Correlation Analysis Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.9

Regression Analysis Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.10

Multiple Regression Analysis Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.11

Independent-Samples t-test Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.12

Paired Variables t-test Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.13

One-Sample t-test Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Figure 9.14

One-Way Analysis of Variance Output File. Source: data input into IBM SPSS Statistics Software (SPSS), version 22. Reproduced with permission of International Business Machines Corporation.

Chapter 10

Figure 10.1

Sample Concept-mapping Using the Example from Box 10.3.

Figure 10.2

Process of Qualitative Coding.

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Chapter

Pages

ix

xiii

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

184

185

186

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

206

207

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

Acknowledgments

During the process of writing this book, many people have helped us in various ways. We deeply appreciate their help. First, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who have provided us with many insightful comments and constructive suggestions. These comments have inspired us in various ways and we have incorporated many of their suggestions in our writing. It is these comments and suggestions that have improved the quality of this book.

Second, we are indebted to several colleagues at William Paterson University of New Jersey, who provide feedback on our manuscript at various stages while we were writing the book. Professor Peter Chen at the Department of Mathematics provided good comments and suggestions for Chapter 9. Anthony Joachim at the Cheng Library offered many valuable suggestions for Chapter 3. We thank Professor Carol Frierson-Campbell of Music Department for her constructive comments on Chapter 1. Special thanks are also extended to Professor Mary Chayko of Rutgers University, and Professor Janet Ruane of Montclair State University. Their reviews of multiple chapters of our manuscript were instrumental in shaping the book the way it is now.

Finally, we would like to thank the wonderful staff at Wiley. Our editor Justin Vaughan has been most supportive and patient throughout the entire process. Our project editor Ben Thatcher has guided us through the final stages of manuscript preparation and the production process. Lisa Sharp has provided help with many administrative issues.

Our deepest gratitude goes to our families for their love and support.

About the Website

The companion website for Student Research and Report Writing: From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper includes a number of resources created by the author that you will find helpful.

Please go to:www.wiley.com\go\wang\researchreportwriting

For students:

Links to online video resources

For instructors:

PowerPoint lecture slides

Chapter 1Introduction: Start Your Research Journey

If you have picked up this book, you are likely to be a student of the social sciences, business, or education. You may be thinking about original research for a major paper, for an undergraduate seminar class, or for a bachelor’s or master’s thesis. Or you may be in a practicum course in social science research and writing (often called “Senior Seminars” in many U.S. universities). You probably have already learned about different theories and have taken research methods courses in your discipline. Perhaps, you feel that you know a fair amount about research terminology, but you might not have had practice designing and carrying out original research of your own. Or you may be simply overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work ahead and do not know exactly where to start. You know what you need to produce in the end but are anxious about how to get it done. If this is the case, this book is for you.

Conducting social science research is a journey that requires a step-by-step blueprint and a time-management plan. Most people today rely on a GPS (Global Positioning System) device or internet map services when they drive to unfamiliar locations. We hope this book works as your GPS research guide, a one-stop shop of practical help for you in each step of your research project, from coming up with a research topic to completing the report. Most chapters provide you with exercises corresponding to each research phase, which will help you complete the work effectively, and work out solutions to problems you may have.