Principles Of Methodology

This book provides a comprehensive, accessible guide to social science methodology. In so doing, it establishes methodology as distinct from both methods and philosophy. Most existing textbooks deal with methods, or sound ways of collecting and analysing data to generate findings. In contrast, this innovative book shows how an understanding of methodology allows us to design research so that findings can be used to answer interesting research questions and to build and test theories. Most important things in social research (e.g., beliefs, institutions, interests, practices and social classes) cannot be observed directly. This book explains how empirical research can nevertheless be designed to make sound inferences about their nature, effects and significance. The authors examine what counts as good description, explanation and interpretation, and how they can be achieved by striking intelligent trade-offs between competing design virtues. Coverage includes: • why methodology matters; • what philosophical arguments show us about inference; • competing virtues of good research design; • purposes of theory, models and frameworks; • forming researchable concepts and typologies; • explaining and interpreting: inferring causation, meaning and significance; and • combining explanation and interpretation. The book is essential reading for new researchers faced with the practical challenge of designing research. Extensive examples and exercises are provided, based on the authors′ long experience of teaching methodology to multi-disciplinary groups. Perri 6 is Professor of Social Policy in the Graduate School in the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University. Chris Bellamy is Emeritus Professor of Public Administration in the Graduate School, Nottingham Trent University.

Used to train generations of social scientists, this thoroughly updated classic text covers the latest research techniques and designs. Applauded for its comprehensive coverage, the breadth and depth of content is unparalleled. Through a multi-methodology approach, the text guides readers toward the design and conduct of social research from the ground up. Explained with applied examples useful to the social, behavioral, educational, and organizational sciences, the methods described are intended to be relevant to contemporary researchers. The underlying logic and mechanics of experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental research strategies are discussed in detail. Introductory chapters covering topics such as validity and reliability furnish readers with a firm understanding of foundational concepts. Chapters dedicated to sampling, interviewing, questionnaire design, stimulus scaling, observational methods, content analysis, implicit measures, dyadic and group methods, and meta-analysis provide coverage of these essential methodologies. The book is noted for its: -Emphasis on understanding the principles that govern the use of a method to facilitate the researcher’s choice of the best technique for a given situation. - Use of the laboratory experiment as a touchstone to describe and evaluate field experiments, correlational designs, quasi experiments, evaluation studies, and survey designs. -Coverage of the ethics of social research including the power a researcher wields and tips on how to use it responsibly. The new edition features: -A new co-author, Andrew Lac, instrumental in fine tuning the book’s accessible approach and highlighting the most recent developments at the intersection of design and statistics. -More learning tools including more explanation of the basic concepts, more research examples, tables, and figures, and the addition of bold faced terms, chapter conclusions, discussion questions, and a glossary. -Extensive revision of chapter (3) on measurement reliability theory that examines test theory, latent factors, factor analysis, and item response theory. -Expanded coverage of cutting-edge methodologies including mediation and moderation, reliability and validity, missing data, and more physiological approaches such as neuroimaging and fMRIs. -A new web based resource package that features Power Points and discussion and exam questions for each chapter and for students chapter outlines and summaries, key terms, and suggested readings. Intended as a text for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses in research methods (design) in psychology, communication, sociology, education, public health, and marketing, an introductory undergraduate course on research methods is recommended.

Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators is the definitive, comprehensive guide to understanding and performing clinical research. Designed for medical students, physicians, basic scientists involved in translational research, and other health professionals, this indispensable reference also addresses the unique challenges and demands of clinical research and offers clear guidance in becoming a more successful member of a medical research team and critical reader of the medical research literature. The book covers the entire research process, beginning with the conception of the research problem to publication of findings. Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators comprehensively and concisely presents concepts in a manner that is relevant and engaging to read. The text combines theory and practical application to familiarize the reader with the logic of research design and hypothesis construction, the importance of research planning, the ethical basis of human subjects research, the basics of writing a clinical research protocol and scientific paper, the logic and techniques of data generation and management, and the fundamentals and implications of various sampling techniques and alternative statistical methodologies. Organized in thirteen easy to read chapters, the text emphasizes the importance of clearly-defined research questions and well-constructed hypothesis (reinforced throughout the various chapters) for informing methods and in guiding data interpretation. Written by prominent medical scientists and methodologists who have extensive personal experience in biomedical investigation and in teaching key aspects of research methodology to medical students, physicians and other health professionals, the authors expertly integrate theory with examples and employ language that is clear and useful for a general medical audience. A major contribution to the methodology literature, Principles of Research Methodology: A Guide for Clinical Investigators is an authoritative resource for all individuals who perform research, plan to perform it, or wish to understand it better.

What is it to be scientific? Is there such a thing as scientific method? And if so, how might such methods be justified? Robert Nola and Howard Sankey seek to provide answers to these fundamental questions in their exploration of the major recent theories of scientific method. Although for many scientists their understanding of method is something they just pick up in the course of being trained, Nola and Sankey argue that it is possible to be explicit about what this tacit understanding of method is, rather than leave it as some unfathomable mystery. They robustly defend the idea that there is such a thing as scientific method and show how this might be legitimated. This book begins with the question of what methodology might mean and explores the notions of values, rules and principles, before investigating how methodologists have sought to show that our scientific methods are rational. Part 2 of this book sets out some principles of inductive method and examines its alternatives including abduction, IBE, and hypothetico-deductivism. Part 3 introduces probabilistic modes of reasoning, particularly Bayesianism in its various guises, and shows how it is able to give an account of many of the values and rules of method. Part 4 considers the ideas of philosophers who have proposed distinctive theories of method such as Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn and Feyerabend and Part 5 continues this theme by considering philosophers who have proposed naturalised theories of method such as Quine, Laudan and Rescher. This book offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the idea of scientific method and a wide-ranging discussion of how historians of science, philosophers of science and scientists have grappled with the question over the last fifty years.

This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.

This book introduces readers to the core principles and methodologies of product development, and highlights the interactions between engineering design and industrial design. It shows to what extent the two cultures can be reconciled, and conversely what makes each of them unique. Although the semantic aspect is fundamental in industrial design, while the functional aspect is essential for the industrial product, the interaction between the two worlds is strategically vital. Design is also a strategic problem-solving process that drives innovation, builds business success and leads to better quality of life through innovative products, systems, services and experiences. The book connects product development with the concepts and strategies of innovation, recognizing that product design is a complex process in which invention, consumers’ role, industrial technologies, economics and the social sciences converge. After presenting several examples of artifacts developed up to the conceptual phase or built as prototypes, the book provides a case study on a packaging machine, showcasing the principles that should underlie all design activities, and the methods that must be employed to successfully establish a design process. The book is primarily targeted at professionals in the industry, design engineers and industrial designers, as well as researchers and students in design schools, though it will also benefit any reader interested in product design.