Designing and Managing Your Research Project
Core Skills for Social and Health Research
- David Thomas - University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Ian D Hodges
Emerging researchers need a range of specific skills to plan and successfully complete their research projects. While there are multiple books available on methods, there is much less information on the key skills needed to complete a project.
Designing and Managing Your Research Project provides information about the key areas needed for a successful project. It includes software skills, developing research objectives, writing proposals, literature reviews, getting ethics approval, seeking funding, managing a project, communicating research findings, and writing reports. There is also a chapter on working as an independent researcher.
Designing and Managing Your Research Project includes numerous examples, checklists, and practical exercises designed to assist the learning of research skills and the completion of crucial project tasks. It covers procedures needed for conducting projects electronically and accessing information from the Internet.
This book is designed to complement texts covering quantitative and qualitative research methods in health and social sciences. It will be particularly useful to advanced undergraduate and graduate students planning theses and dissertations and other researchers in the early stages of their career.
Designing and Managing Your Research Project is rich in content, full of practical information with a simple, easy-to-follow layout [...]the book will be ideal for academic and non-academic researchers, teachers and consultants, among others. The authors’ consultative-coaching-advisory and empathy-towards-researchers approaches in discussing the core knowledge in research project management are indeed commendable. Most researchers whilst reflecting on the content will find the book rigorous, relevant, simple and practical
Ronald R. Kumar
The Qualitative Report
David Thomas and Ian Hodges have created a practical straightforward introductory text explaining the knowledge and skills essential for completing a research project...This book will be useful for the more experienced researcher, as well as the novice
Graham Sloan
Nursing Standard
Use with undergraduate students (3rd and 4th year) in their preparation and execution of their research projects. The find the 'project approach' helpful and refreshing.
This is a very helpful book for anyone embarking on their research career. It is well written and draws on a lot of examples, making the research process not so daunting.
Very clear and easy book for students who have never conducted research before. Simple and easy read for newcomers.
The value of this text is its anticipation that the research activity of the student will continue beyond formal education.
Beginning with research practice as part of a postgraduate programme of study, the book moves through the skills needed to successfully design and implement a research project.
This book assumes that research will continue beyond University and provides a series of useful 'transition' suggestions. For example, to guidelines to costing research projects are likely to prove very useful for the newly qualified field-researcher.
This is an excellent resource for PhD students undertaking research in education and social sciences. I am recommending to students as it offers sound advice and support regarding all stages of the research project.
This is a very user friendly text and a useful addition to our module reading list. What I particularly like for students is the chapter on research ethics and the sections that give students some focus on the future such as working with others and careers. These sections give the book an added employability dimension.
Text adopted for all departmental capstone courses offered twice a year.
Excellent overall outline for research proposals
Excellent resource book.
A useful book for those studying social sciences at advanced levels with a wealth of useful and practical guidance.
