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The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project
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The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project

Fifth Edition
  • Zina O'Leary - The Australia and New Zealand School of Government
  • Emma Tennent - Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Additional resources:
Online Resources
January 2025 | 448 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
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Doing a research project or dissertation can be daunting. This practical book will help you dive straight in, driving each step of the process with confidence. Packed with features to support your learning, this guidebook gives you invaluable advice at each stage, from picking a topic, designing your study and navigating ethics to collecting and analysing data then sharing your findings. 

This fifth edition

  • Empowers you to be critical and self-reflective when consuming and doing research, with 19 critical thinking challenges.
  • Equips you with the skills to make good decisions, prepare effectively, and take charge of your own project.
  •  Draws on case studies of real-world research to inspire your creativity and curiosity.

This popular, down-to-earth guide is a must-have for undergraduate and postgraduate students embarking on research projects across the social sciences.

 
Chapter 1: Taking the Leap into the Research World
 
Chapter 2: Setting Up and Getting Started
 
Chapter 3: Developing Your Research Question
 
Chapter 4: Undertaking Credible and Ethical Research
 
Chapter 5: Crafting a Research Proposal
 
Chapter 6: Reviewing Literature
 
Chapter 7: Designing a Research Plan
 
Chapter 8: Understanding Methodologies: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
 
Chapter 9: Understanding Methodologies: Mixed Approaches
 
Chapter 10: Understanding Methodologies: Evaluative, Action-Oriented and Emancipatory Strategies
 
Chapter 11: Identifying and Selecting Samples, Informants and Cases
 
Chapter 12: Primary Data: Surveys, Interviews and Observation
 
Chapter 13: Secondary Data
 
Chapter 14: Online Generated Data
 
Chapter 15: Analysing Quantitative Data
 
Chapter 16: Analysing Qualitative Data
 
Chapter 17: The Challenge of Writing Up
 
Chapter 18: Final Hurdles

Supplements

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For lecturers (log-in needed)

  • A detailed Lecturer’s guide supports you to teach using the book, featuring case studies, real datasets, teaching suggestions, checklists, as well as additional further reading resources for each chapter.
  • Download PowerPoint slides for each chapter featuring content summaries, key figures, examples and discussion point which can be customized for use in your own lectures and presentations.

Zina O'Leary

Zina O’Leary is an internationally recognized leader in research methodologies and has a keen interest in the application of research to evidence-based decision-making. Zina is an Adjunct Professor at the Joseph R. Biden Jr, School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware as well as a Senior ­Fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government where she coordinates research and project units for their Executive Masters and Executive Education Programmes. Zina also has an extensive history as a consultant to both government and the private sector and was the research coordinator for the Centre for... More About Author

Emma Tennent

Emma Tennent is a senior lecturer at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. She has experience teaching research methods and research paradigms to undergraduate and postgraduate students across a range of disciplines. She is the recipient of an Early Career Teaching Excellence Award and an accredited Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She works with Zina at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government as a research project advisor for the Executive Master of Public Administration. She has co-published with students and academic colleagues in the open-access book The Power of Partnership: Students, Staff, and... More About Author

For instructors