โ Scribed by Patrick White
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Undertaking a research project is a crucial, but often overwhelming aspect of any social sciences degree, and selecting a research question can be one of the toughest parts of the process. What makes an appropriate topic for research? How do you transform an idea into a 'researchable' question? And, once you've got a question, where do you go from there?
Developing Research Questions steers readers through the complex process of starting a research project. The book explains how to break down initial ideas from broad topics into appropriate research questions, and gives detailed guidance on how to refine questions as the research project develops. Each chapter is packed with handy hints, tips and examples that show how to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls in the research process. Linking hypotheses and questions with research design and methods at every step, this text takes readers from the start through to the final stage of answering their questions and drawing conclusions.
This is a no-fuss, practical guide to forming your own research question. It is an indispensable resource for social scientists carrying out research projects at all levels.
Cover
Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists
Copyright
ยฉ Patrick White 2009
ISBN-13 978โ1โ4039โ9815โ6
ISBN-10 1โ4039โ9815โ9
H62 W453 2009 300.72โdc22
Dedicated For BG
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
WHY SHOULD YOU READ A BOOK ON RESEARCH QUESTIONS?
WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
HOW SHOULD I USE THIS BOOK?
THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK
1 Where do research ideas come from?
CURIOSITY AND SURPRISE: THE BASIS OF INQUIRY
THE ROLE OF THE LITERATURE: KNOWING THE FIELD
Starting with the literature or starting with a question
Where to start reading and when to stop reading
Not re-inventing the wheel: what counts as a 'gap' and how big does it need to be?
Originality
Influence
THE ROLE OF THEORY
What is theory?
Theory testing and theory generation
'PRACTICAL' STIMULI FOR RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The policy context and social problems
'Applied' research
SUMMARY
FURTHER READING
2 What makes a research question?
RESEARCH TOPICS, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
THE FORM OF QUESTIONS AND THEIR CONTENT
Problems of form
Questions and other statements
'Many questions' and 'false dichotomies'
Tautological questions
Problems of subject
Metaphysical questions
Normative questions
Data collection questions
QUESTION TYPES
Descriptive and explanatory questions
W-Questions: four descriptive and two explanatory question types
Purpose-led typologies
'Empowerment'
Comparison
HYPOTHESES
What are hypotheses?
HYPOTHESIS
RESEARCH QUESTION
Where do hypotheses come from?
Hypotheses and research design
SUMMARY
FURTHER READING
3 What makes a question 'researchable'?
THE 'RESEARCHABILITY' OF QUESTIONS
A question of scope
Prioritizing
Creating hierarchies: main and subsidiary questions
MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION
SUBSIDIARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION
ANCILLARY SUB-QUESTIONS
How many research questions?
A QUESTION OF LANGUAGE
Brevity
Clarity
Precision
Population of interest
Geographical location or coverage
Historical context
Comparisons
Summary
A QUESTION OF RESOURCES
Funding and financial considerations
Travel and subsistence
Equipment
Hidden costs
Dissemination
Training
Time and human resources
Research questions and resources
SUMMARY
FURTHER READING
4 Questions, methods and indicators
QUESTIONS AS THE STARTING POINTOF RESEARCH
Questions first, methods later
Research 'traditions
Methodsied research and 'methodolatry'
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH DESIGN
What is research design?
OPERATIONALIZING CONCEPTS
An example of a social scientific concept: social class
Unoperational concepts
SUMMARY
FURTHER READING
5 Answering research questions: claims, evidence and warrant
THE STRUCTURE OF ARGUMENTS
CLAIMS
Qualifying claims
DATA AND EVIDENCE
Differentiating between evidence, claims and warrant
WARRANT
ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES
SUMMARY
FURTHER READING
Afterword
Bibliography
Index
Back Cover
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