Evaluating Research: Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research [Paperback]
Author: Amazon Prime | Language: English | ISBN: 141297853X | Format: PDF, EPUB
Direct download links available Evaluating Research: Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research from mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link
Aids students in understanding and interpreting quantitative research articles
Designed for anyone who needs to learn to read and understand empirical reports in the social and behavioral sciences, this multidisciplinary book provides individuals with the knowledge necessary to understand research without overwhelming them with information about how to conduct research. His enthusiasm for methods present on every page, author Francis C. Dane wants readers to have the skills to evaluate research and critically use empirical results. Readers will gain a greater appreciation for the ways in which consuming research can add to their understanding of the way the world works and how they can enhance their efforts to improve it.
Key Features
- Every facet of evaluating research is covered—from key terms and concepts to communicating the final results
- The author pairs statistical concepts and procedures with appropriate research methods
- Strong pedagogy such as chapter overviews, summaries, key terms, and application exercises allows readers to check their understanding of the material
This book can be used in both upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level courses in public policy, public health, education, sociology, psychology, social work and nursing.
- Paperback: 392 pages
- Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc; 1 edition (January 6, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 141297853X
- ISBN-13: 978-1412978538
- Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 7.2 x 8.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #45 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Research
- #50 in Books > Medical Books > Research
- #50 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Research
I cannot assess the complaints about the kindle edition, which seem bothersome indeed. But let us talk about the book and its contents.
Simply put, this is an excellent book in that it talks about evaluating research, which is a smart way to talk about doing research. Most books on research methods, however well written, are long and tedious because they have to go step-by-step through basics, and then a long menu of alternative methodologies (qualitative or quantitative, survey or cases...) of which only a fraction will be of use to the reader. These books can be good reference sources while writing a thesis, though even then only a fraction of each book will be of interest to any one user.
Dane's Evaluating Research is a different animal. Its take - and it is absolutely right here - is that most undergraduate and even graduate students (PhDs aside of course) will spend some of their career deciding what existing research to rely on, or requesting research, but not doing research themselves. So, the need is to know how to determine whether existing research or potential studies are sound. The title says it all, and is accurate: "Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research".
In a light but not fluffy style (this reads more like a graduate text), Dane goes through the principles of scientific research, and then gives some broad strokes on general methodologies (experimental, quasi-experimental, survey, field, archival, evaluation). These chapters are not the lengthy how-to guides stating conditions for perfect research, which end up being problematic because some criteria may quite inevitably be unachievable (or a professor may have preferences contrary to the author's).
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