Content is for the most part up to date (see above comments for specific areas: reliability, validity, mixed methods); some examples may become outdated very soon (example of political movements in middle eastern countries for example). The consistency of this text is uniform throughout. This text seems to follow the path of other texts that outline research design and methods, such as the Creswell book that I have used for several semesters. The concise Social science research isn't likely to change greatly so this text should remain relevant for some time and can easily be updated to accommodate new techniques as they arise. The book is very clear and accessible, probably largely due to its minimalist approach. The text largely privileges the scientific method and labels diverse social science research methods as such. 3. I would like to see the subheadings being numbered as well. This book can work in a number of ways. The book is well-written and concise. data collection methods; non- and low . The chapters of the book flows logically from one to the next. As I mentioned earlier, I like the overall sequence that the author follows, but at the same time I can appreciate how the sections can be detached and still stand alone. The relevancy and longevity of this book are great. 
The text is written in a logical and concise fashion. In reviewing this text I did not see any examples that might be deemed offensive or insensitive to other cultures, orientations, ethnicities, etc, Reviewed by Amy Thompson , Associate Professor, University of South Florida on 3/27/18, Reviewed by Kendall Bustad, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park on 2/1/18, This book covers all the important topics in social science research and is approachable regardless of discipline and course level (high school, undergraduate, graduate, and even post-graduate). WebExperienced social science researcher and project manager with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare services research industry. Even so, most of the information seems to be accurate. Beneficial. While this would probably not be a particularly exciting text for a self-study course, it will sit well with classes that need a reference text that takes the time to explain concepts with some authority. The illustrations do help guide understanding of concepts presented. Supplementing would be important if using this in an undergraduate classroom. read more. WebData collection and analysis. The text covers all of the areas of basic research information that I cover when I teach research and research methods in the social sciences. That said, there is not a ton of depth in this textbook. The book did not appear to have any noticeable grammar or syntactical errors. The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology within a chapter section. They will make it easy to select sections for assignment or reordering if revising for use. This is an unfortunate oversight. I supplement with many field-specific resources, so I would recommend it to Ph.D. students to use as a reference because of the key terms included. read more. It should be noted that there is more of a focus on quantitative research. I also find it useful that the author includes sections on both qualitative and quantitative research, which is great for an introductory level course. It offers easy-to-read information and introduces the readers to the research process, such as research questions, research paradigms, research process, research designs, research methods, data collection, data analysis, and The text is easy to navigate. read more. All documents have to be accessible to all students. I would like to see a more practical discussion of ANOVA, as it is a very commonly used statistical analysis tool. It is worth mentioning that this text ought to serve students well throughout their undergraduate studies, graduate careers, and beyond. The rise of social media use has been phenomenal, particularly during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the text flows in a logical, clear fashion. Both cutting-edge and classic approaches to research are discussed and the book may be easily updated as warranted by important developments in the social sciences. The chapter refers to mail surveys, which in 2021, are almost obsolete. I think that the text may lend itself to several different types We cover a range of associated issues, read more. Generally the major topics are covered. Some of the course objectives I have developed from the textbook include i) distinguishing between questionnaire survey method and interview survey method and ii) summarizing criteria for developing effective questionnaire items, among many others. As mentioned, instructors will likely need to include examples that are specific to their course objectives and student populations. The text is readable at a collegiate level without becoming over-academic, or for that matter, casual. Again, this book can serve as an compact introduction in a graduate research methodology class for students across the social sciences, but it would work best in conjunction with deeper and more discipline specific materials prepared by the professor. Case Study. Figure 3 and Table 1 show that data science is also a research hotspot in educational data ethics (# 1 data science), along with # 5 big data. There are useful definitions of key terms throughout the book, although none of the chapters go into much depth. Overall, this is a good book to introduce graduate (and even undergraduate) students to social science research. Whereas most research methods textbooks either focus on research For its purpose, as introduced by the author, this is appropriately comprehensive. we must understand that sometimes, these constructs are not real . 
I'm delighted to have found this book. The chapters offer a variety of examples, inclusive of a variety of social science fields. In a research career spanning 15 years, Bhattacherjee has published 46 refereed journal papers and two books that have received about 3000 citations on Google Scholar. Regarding navigation, the pdf online version does not allow for creative navigation through the document. For instance, in chapter 3 on the research process, the author devotes 5 paragraphs to common mistakes in the research process, such as pursuing trivial research questions or blind data mining. I did not find any jargon or technical terminology used without explanation. In particular, types of correlational designs and mixed-methods designs would be For this reason, it seems suitable for a variety of graduate-level courses, including research design survey courses and more advanced courses focusing on specific approaches. This is a comprehensive text for the research methods course taught out of sociology or other social science disciplines. But while Dr. Bhattacherjee's introduction says that the book is bare-boned by design -- "I decided to focus only on essential concepts, and not fill pages with clutter that can divert the students' attention to less relevant or tangential issues" -- some topics deserve more attention. These could be added very easily using simple graphs. 34). A glossary would be helpful as students often need to reference basic definitions as they learn these new concepts. I use this book with graduate students in education taking an initial course in education research. Meanwhile, the qualitative and two separate quantitative chapters play well together for students who will want to review them before exams or after the course is finished while they pursue a thesis/dissertation. This text is a nice overview of some of the key points in social science research. I have not spotted any glaring errors, other than an occasional grammatical slip or a cumbersome edit. The content is very relevant. There are some cases when the author gives advice that I don't agree with (i.e. (Note: The scale is confusing. It is also unnecessary to always add a comma before the word because.. I think this book would complement other research texts without causing too many difficulties in terminology or arrangement. In this case "generic" is actually a positive attribute: because the text covers social science research broadly, rather than sociology, psychology, etc. The content of the book is up-to-date. Teachers looking for a text that they can use to introduce students to the research process and cover the foundational components of the research process should find this manuscript sufficient for their needs. There was no perception of bias or conflict that would impact accuracy. Research methods and statistics content are unlikely to change rapidly, although with the increasing use of ecological momentary assessments, daily diaries, and internet sampling techniques, it might be useful down the road to include more detail about those techniques. . Research has a tendency to step on its own toes when it comes to terminology, but this text follows those conventions for the most part, making it mostly congruent with other research texts I have seen. It is highly recommended that the readers are told about the place of exploratory and other research in social science research inquiry, rather than labeling them as scientific research. In many ways it needs much more to compete with established textbooks or dedicated electronic learning tools, and in some places I would like more references for the material that is included. WebThe data collection component of research is common to all fields of study including physical and social sciences, humanities, business, etc. As this textbook is designed as a succinct overview of research design and process, more practical topics are not included in much detail such as how to conduct different statistical analyses using SPSS or SAS, or how to interpret statistical analysis results. There are a few important topics missing, however. While this is a social science textbook, it would be helpful to have subsection in Chapter 4 that introduces at least a couple of the main health behavior theories. Accessibility is a big issue right now. I assign the chapters in an alternative order and students have not had problems with this. Quantitative research. 
This format also enables instructors to easily supplement with other materials. Does it mean the p-value has to be less than 0.05 (p. 125) or p 0.05 (p. 130) to reject the null hypothesis? It can be used in sociology, political science, education public health, and related disciplines. The second and third chapters are excellent for the researcher who is just starting out to formulate a research question. Case study is a research method that involves an in-depth, detailed examination of a single unit, such as an individual, family, group, organization, community, or event. I agree with another reviewer that the ethics portion seems like an appendix, rather than an essential and structural part of the book. As an example, regarding evaluating measurement scales for internal consistency, the author references commonly-accepted factor loadings (>.60) but does not reference or provide linked resources for readers to corroborate this or seek additional readings. The book is easy to read and follow, although the lack of examples to clarify concepts sometimes reduces the clarity of ideas (but is in keeping with the philosophy of the book). I will have to supplement these areas with other readings. I can see how psychologists, sociologists and political scientists could provide discipline-specific examples to tailor this to their students particular needs. This text was not, however, viewed on a tablet or e-reader, which many students use for classes. The book is relevant. The method you choose depends on this book could definitely stand on its own for many years before changes in the field might necessitate updating. We need to collect data for analyzing and interpreting the collected data. As mentioned earlier, the vocabulary words in bold are consistent signposts, and there are citations (not too many, not too few) that help structure the book and provide a cogent framework. Reviewed by Kevin Deitle, Adjunct Associate Professor, TRAILS on 10/6/19, I am pleased with the coverage in the text; it includes the history and foundations of research, as well as chapters on ethics and a sample syllabus. One issue that I wonder if graduate students might prefer is if they are not already 13 chapters into a text/course and only then are they getting to a basic concept such as measures of central tendency. Content is accurate for the most part. I have not noticed any errors or bias. The chapters provide easily divisible readings of 8-10 pages. Some of the most sophisticated software programs available today, like Linux and Apache, are also free, and so is this book.Fourth, I plan to make local-language versions of this book available in due course of time, and those translated versions will also be free. There are very few typographical errors, and overall, the text is rigorously unbiased in its scientific method claims and explanations. For the Appendix, it is nice to provide a sample syllabus for the instructors, but the students may want a sample research paper in proper journal or thesis/dissertation format. It would be very easy to divide this into smaller reading sections and assign at different time points. WebYet numerous methods are used to minimize errors in data. They succinctly cover a lot of information is a way that is very consumable. It aims for breadth, but not depth. The text provides a basic introduction to research methods in the social sciences. The text reminds me of my Research Methods textbook from my doctoral program. One of the book's touted selling-points is its focus on phases of research that precede data collection. Overall, then, the book is to be commended for tackling both the philosophical issues at stake in research design as well as the 'nuts and bolts' (or 'brass tacks') of actually doing research. However, professors or instructors can add, drop, stretch, or condense topics to customize the book to the specific needs of their curriculum. See comments above about the relevancy of the material. The author includes a few citations, usually following APA style, but employs footnotes instead of a reference section. One thing I would recommend adding is examples and cases. An overview of theory, designs, sampling, data collection, data analysis, and ethics are provided. My two suggestions for increasing are a) hyperlinking the table of contents so that it was easier to find exactly what you want in the textbook, and b) providing a more detailed table of contents (with subheadings) so it's easier to determine where in chapters you should reference. The content does not read in a way that seems (either now or in the future) likely to read as dated or obsolete. Only suggestion would be to introduce research ethics early on in the book. The textbook makes other distinctions in a way that helps students comprehend concepts (e.g. More social science based examples on specific research designs, experimental research would be great. There was one strange sentence when the author was trying to contrast a liberal to a conservatives viewpoint on page 18 that made this reader feel a bit uncomfortable in how one ideological viewpoint was portrayed, but Im not sure it was necessarily bias; perhaps just the writing was a bit heavy handed. While it is an overview of the information, it is specific and concise enough for students who need to understand the research process but wont be engaging in research as their full-time profession. Reviewed by Lee Bidgood, Associate Professor, East Tennessee State University on 10/29/19, The text seems comprehensive, covers a wide range of research approaches, and parts of the research process. Social science is a quite diverse field, including studies of socio-economic data, human behaviors, values, perceptions, and many others. As a fellow social scientist from a high growth area (communication studies), I would appreciate even more breadth! . 
Since some concepts are discussed in more than one place, it might be difficult to identify a single reading for a specific topic one might need to assign several readings from more than one chapter. WebData-collection techniques differ from participant observation, content analysis, interviewing, and documentary analysis. Different methods of data collection include experiments, surveys, observations, and archival studies. This text is easy to read and quite user-friendly. -how to read scholarly articles In my experience, most doctoral students become fairly competent at research methods during their Ph.D. years, but struggle to generate interesting or useful research questions or build scientific theories. As a result, the flow/connection between each chapter are less clear. Also, having links from the table of contents to chapters would be helpful. Finally, this book does NOT include an index or a glossary. The text is logical and has flow. The portions of the text that are less relevant to the course I teach (i.e. The division of the text into the following sections: theoretical foundations, concepts in research design, data collection and data analysis, make it easy for instructors to structure a course and assign readings based on these main foundational areas. The text content is relevant and the author has taken care to provide relatively timeless sample research examples throughout. advises against even-numbered Likert scale items, p. 48; encourages people not to do "trendy" research, such as that on new technology, p. 24). I found no grammatical errors in the sections of the book that I read. The only things that may need updating over time are any links that lead to pages that no longer exist. I can detect no culturally insensitive or offensive remarks in this book. read more. There is not a discussion of how different research types are affected by different types and threats of research validity. The table of contents is straight forward, and the chapters are arranged in a fluid, logical order. WebExperienced social science researcher and project manager with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare services research industry. This paper provides an innovative, yet practical adaptation of social science approaches to observation that can be feasibly used by health researchers. The type of data you need depends on the aims of your research. read more. There are ample headings and sub-headings, however, that allow the text to be divided into smaller chunks, which is nice to see given how many students feel overwhelmed by this topic. The text provides a complete summary of the research process. The book includes some helpful figures illustrating concepts in research design and statistics. The text was lacking an index, which would prove helpful for students. What I mean by '5' is the least amount of grammatical errors were found), The author did not use any concept that was insensitive or offended people and/or subjects from various backgrounds. Reviewed by Holly Gould, Associate Professor, Lynchburg College on 8/15/17, The author states that the text is not designed to go in-depth into the subject matter but rather give a basic understanding of the material. Insensitive or offensive remarks in this book does not allow for creative navigation through the.. Areas with other readings offensive remarks in this book would complement other research without! The researcher who is just starting out to formulate a research question spotted any glaring errors, beyond. Nice overview of theory, designs, experimental research would be great are affected by different types threats. 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