The Essential Guide To Using The Web For Research

This book will be vital reading for anyone doing research, since using the web to find high quality information is a key research skill. It introduces beginners and experts alike to the most effective techniques for searching the web, assessing and organising information and using it in a range of scenarios from undergraduate essays and projects to PhD research. Nigel Ford shows how using the web poses opportunities and challenges that impact on student research at every level, and he explains the skills needed to navigate the web and use it effectively to produce high quality work. Ford connects online skills to the research process. He helps readers to understand research questions and how to answer them by constructing arguments and presenting evidence in ways that will enhance their impact and credibility. The book includes clear and helpful coverage of beginner and advanced search tools and techniques, as well as the processes of: @!critically evaluating online information @!creating and presenting evidence-based arguments @!organizing, storing and sharing information @!referencing, copyright and plagiarism. As well as providing all the basic techniques students need to find high quality information on the web, this book will help readers use this information effectively in their own research. Nigel Ford is Professor in the University of Sheffield′s Information School.

In recent years, the internet has provided students and researchers with fantastic opportunities and a distinct set of challenges. Nigel Ford shows how these opportunities and challenges impact on student research projects and explains the skills needed to navigate the web and use it effectively.

This book will be vital reading for anyone doing research, since using the web to find high quality information is a key research skill. It introduces beginners and experts alike to the most effective techniques for searching the web, assessing and organising information and using it in a range of scenarios from undergraduate essays and projects to PhD research. Nigel Ford shows how using the web poses opportunities and challenges that impact on student research at every level, and he explains the skills needed to navigate the web and use it effectively to produce high quality work. Ford connects online skills to the research process. He helps readers to understand research questions and how to answer them by constructing arguments and presenting evidence in ways that will enhance their impact and credibility. The book includes clear and helpful coverage of beginner and advanced search tools and techniques, as well as the processes of: @!critically evaluating online information @!creating and presenting evidence-based arguments @!organizing, storing and sharing information @!referencing, copyright and plagiarism. As well as providing all the basic techniques students need to find high quality information on the web, this book will help readers use this information effectively in their own research. Nigel Ford is Professor in the University of Sheffield′s Information School.

The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project 2e is the ultimate companion to successfully completing your research project. Warm and pragmatic, it gives you the skills and the confidence needed to succeed no matter what happens along the way. The book guides you through every step of your research project, from getting started to analysing data and writing up. Each stage is clearly set out, highlighting best practice and providing practical tips and down-to-earth advice for actually doing research. Key features include: Fully developed companion website including podcasts, worksheets, examples of real projects and links to journal articles Chapter summaries Boxed definitions of key terms Full glossary Suggestions for further reading Bursting with real world examples and multidisciplinary case studies, this book addresses the key questions posed by anyone hoping to complete a research project. It is the must-have textbook every student needs. Available with Perusall—an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.

The Essential Guide: Writing Research Papers Across the Disciplines is the ultimate brief research reference. Pocket-sized and inexpensive, this research guide is priced to work as a supplement in any research-oriented course. Designed to be a guide for writing research papers both in first-year composition courses and in upper-level courses in all disciplines, The Essential Guide: Writing Research Papers Across the Disciplines, Second Edition, features advice on the judicious handling of research materials as well as extensive coverage of electronic research and methods for publishing on the web. It remains rooted in the fundamentals of thorough library research but encourages and equips students to use the Internet as well as field research where appropriate. It endorses the written word while recognizing the value of graphics, audio, video, and slide presentations. Numerous student samples and excerpts model different types of research papers from across the disciplines. Comprehensive coverage of the four most common documentation systems increases the text's usability beyond the composition classroom. A dedicated website for the original Writing Research Papers is available to users of the brief version as well.

A Guide to Conducting Online Research is designed to support students, academics and research practitioners in using technology to conduct their research. The book begins by looking at what questions to ask and how to prepare to conduct online research, then concentrates on particular technologies and how to employ them effectively, before concluding with a discussion of the peculiarities of conducting research in the online environment. Practical advice is offered on common issues and problems, such as: - How to decide which application is best for your research purposes? - What can be done to guarantee the anonymity of research participants? - What kinds of challenges do firewalls present and how can they be mitigated? A Guide to Conducting Online Research provides a wealth of advice, explanation, instruction, self-help tips and examples, making this a helpful resource for anyone using technology in conducting their research.

Netnography is an adaptation of ethnography for the online world, pioneered by Robert Kozinets, and is concerned with the study of online cultures and communities as distinct social phenomena, rather than isolated content. In this landmark third edition, Netnography: The Essential Guide provides the theoretical and methodological groundwork as well as the practical applications, helping students both understand and do netnographic research projects of their own. Packed with enhanced learning features throughout, linking concepts to structured activities in a step by step way, the book is also now accompanied by a striking new visual design and further case studies, offering the essential student resource to conducting online ethnographic research. Real world examples provided demonstrate netnography in practice across the social sciences, in media and cultural studies, anthropology, education, nursing, travel and tourism, and others.

Here is the essential how-to guide for communicating scientific research and discoveries online, ideal for journalists, researchers, and public information officers looking to reach a wide lay audience. Drawing on the cumulative experience of twenty-seven of the greatest minds in scientific communication, this invaluable handbook targets the specific questions and concerns of the scientific community, offering help in a wide range of digital areas, including blogging, creating podcasts, tweeting, and more. With step-by-step guidance and one-stop expertise, this is the book every scientist, science writer, and practitioner needs to approach the Wild West of the Web with knowledge and confidence.