{"id":15281,"date":"2020-02-25T14:13:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T14:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/?page_id=15281"},"modified":"2021-10-12T14:50:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T13:50:48","slug":"research-methods","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/research-methods\/","title":{"rendered":"Research methods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What are research methods? Essentially, they are methods you might use to answer your research question(s). While ways of collecting&nbsp;and&nbsp;analysing data&nbsp;represent the core of research methods, you will probably have to address a range of additional methods as you carry out your research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>A search and review of the literature is not a copy and paste job. It is not a search of the Internet, Amazon or the local bookshop. It is not something that can be done in an afternoon or a week.&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;&#8211; Hart, C. (2018) Doing a literature review. 2nd&nbsp;edn. London: Sage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this you? If so, don&#8217;t panic! Try <a href=\"https:\/\/methods.sagepub.com\/\"><strong>SAGE Research Methods<\/strong><\/a>! SAGE Research Methods\u00a0is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences. The site is designed to guide you to the content you need to learn a little or a lot about your chosen research methods. <a href=\"https:\/\/methods.sagepub.com\/methods-map\"><strong>The Methods Map<\/strong><\/a> can help those less familiar with research methods to find the best technique to use in their research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"SAGE Research Methods Overview\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rppKj7xHA-I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SAGE Research Methods is available via the &#8216;Find Databases A-Z link on <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/libsearch.canterbury.ac.uk\"><strong>LibrarySearch<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> There is also a helpful <a href=\"http:\/\/sagepub.libguides.com\/research-methods\/researchmethods\"><strong>online guide<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have other tools to help with literature reviews:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/information-skills\/searching-tips.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Searching tips<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to help you develop search terms to use in resources such as\u00a0LibrarySearch, specialist databases and Google Scholar.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skills4studycampus.com\/StudentHome.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Skills4Study<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is an interactive\u00a0study skills database also available\u00a0on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/libsearch.canterbury.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>LibrarySearch<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0via the\u00a0<strong>Find Databases A-Z\u00a0<\/strong>link.\u00a0\u00a0It is based on the work of expert Stella Cottrell\u00a0(author of The Study Skills Handbook)\u00a0and includes a module on\u00a0<strong>Research principles<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thinking critically about the quality of information and sources is a key part of doing good research at any level. David Bedford, Academic Support Librarian at the <a href=\"http:\/\/campus.medway.ac.uk\/\"><strong>Drill Hall Library<\/strong><\/a>, has created a helpful video about this using BREAD:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Information quality\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M2tkvxhySpk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He has also created an interactive guide to &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinglink.com\/scene\/1060584076672499715?buttonSource=viewLimits\"><strong>The Anatomy of a Journal Article<\/strong><\/a>&#8216;, which is a useful starting point for anyone who is not used to reading journal articles. Other guides to reading academic work include:<br>Greenhalgh&#8217;s book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ulms.ent.sirsidynix.net.uk\/client\/en_GB\/CCCU\/search\/detailnonmodal\/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:1569391\/ada\"><strong>How to Read a Paper<\/strong><\/a><\/em> (available in Augustine House Library and The Drill Hall Library), and Keshav&#8217;s article (also imaginatively titled &#8216;<a href=\"http:\/\/ http:\/\/ccr.sigcomm.org\/online\/files\/p83-keshavA.pdf\"><strong>How to Read a Paper<\/strong><\/a>&#8216;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, textbooks are also useful when doing research. However, be aware that their contents are likely to go out of date much faster than the content of a journal article, as they take longer to write and publish. You can find out more about finding and using textbooks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/information-skills\/books.aspx\"><strong>on our webpages<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find books <em>about <\/em>research methods, have a look at the following classmarks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>152.72  (Research methods in psychology)<\/li><li>301.72 (General books about research methods)<\/li><li>340.072 (Research methodss in law)<\/li><li>370.721 (Research methods for Education)<\/li><li>610.72 (Research methods in health) <\/li><li>792.0721 (Research methods for theatre and performance)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just a few examples. You may see a pattern! To find research methods in other subjects, search in <a href=\"http:\/\/libsearch.canterbury.ac.uk\"><strong>LibrarySearch<\/strong><\/a>. You could search for &#8216;research methods nursing&#8217;, or &#8216;research social sciences&#8217;, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re searching for literature, it\u2019s a good idea to keep a record of your search (i.e. the search terms you\u2019ve used and where you\u2019ve looked), and to ensure that you fully and accurately reference any sources you use in your work. You may find it useful to use a reference management tool, such as RefWorks (available via \u2018Find Databases\u2019 on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/libsearch.canterbury.ac.uk\"><strong>LibrarySearch<\/strong><\/a>), to do this.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you&#8217;ve found this guide useful. For more information, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/contact-us\/subject-enquiries\/subject-enquiries.aspx\"><strong>contact your Learning &amp; Research Librarian<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are research methods? Essentially, they are methods you might use to answer your research question(s). While ways of collecting&nbsp;and&nbsp;analysing data&nbsp;represent the core of research methods, you will probably have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118281,"featured_media":14881,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15281","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15281"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36825,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15281\/revisions\/36825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}