Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-time Researchers. (7th edition.)

Step-by-step advice on completing an outstanding research project.

This is the market-leading book for anyone doing a research project for the first time. Clear, concise and extremely readable, this bestselling resource provides a practical, step-by-step guide from initial concept through to completion of your final written research report.

Thoroughly updated but retaining its well-loved style, this 7th edition provides:

- A brand new first chapter describing what it means to carry out research, the role of the researcher and the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- An update to the chapter on using social media in research to include ethical considerations; and the blurring of the lines when considering information collected via Social Media, referred to by D'Orazio (2013) as 'qualitative data on a quantitative scale'.
- An online review of the latest tools to collect and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data gathered from social media sites, such as Survey Monkey, Wufoo, Pulsar (Online Twitter Search Platform); keyword searches in Yammer; the use of Google Analytics and other metric software; and the similarities and differences between how the researcher might use the diary/journal as a record of experience and posting on social media as a record in real-time
- Further coverage on how to protect research participants, including advice from the World Health Organisation on how to conduct research in health-based settings.
- More detailed explanation of how to conduct online literature searches, not only using Google but also other research-based search engines such as CINAHL and PubMed and professionally-focussed sites e.g. medicine and local government.
- To support your learning, questions at the end of each chapter which prompt you to reflect on your research journey.

This practical, no-nonsense guide is vital reading for all those embarking on undergraduate or postgraduate study in any discipline, and for professionals in such fields as social science, education and health.