Library Guides
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- Library Guides
- Bachelor of Psychology/Bachelor of Psychological Studies
- Research Methodology Resources
Select a specific topic that you will be reviewing
You might want to write down a description of the research question, area, or topic that you will be reviewing, as well as to identify any keywords that you will be using to search for relevant research.
Conduct a literature search
Before you search them, spend a minute thinking about the best terms to use. Make a list of alternative words that describe your subject, and also think about general terms and more specific terms. This is important because the journal databases are good for finding very specific terms in articles, but the library catalogue tends to use more general terms.
# The Effective Searching page provides further explanation.
Read/skim them, using the abstract and take notes
Read through the articles and books that you have found, and as you do, take notes. The notes should include anything that will be helpful in advancing your own thinking about the topic and in helping you write the literature review
Organise the articles into the sub-themes of your topic
Identify points on which the articles agree, disagree, or don’t cover at all.
# Additional information and other tips are featured in the Literature Review libguide.
# See the following articles for more explanation:
Ten simple rules for writing a literature review (Open Access)
Pautasso, M. (2013). Ten simple rules for writing a literature review. PLoS Computational Biology, 9(7), 1-4.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003149
Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines (Open Access)
Snyder, H. (n.d.). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
SAGE Research Methods (SRM) is a research methods tool created to help with planning and conducting the research project with an emphasise on:
# For guidance on searching and using SRM please consult the Sage Research Methods help pages.
SRM includes access to:
Books on different aspects of research.
Videos and podcasts that bring research methods alive.
Reference materials such as an encyclopedia of research terminology.
Cases that provide real-world examples of research methods. These are a step by step walk-through written by the researcher who conducted the research.
Datasets that you can use to practice conducting statistical analysis.
There are some useful research tools to guide in conducting research, including the following:
A visual representation of how methods, terms and concepts are related to each other.
Find books, book chapters, and journal articles on research methods and statistics. You can browse them by specific method or by discipline.
This tool guides you through your research project by going through each stage.
Helps you select the most appropriate statistical test.
Qualitative Psychology by
Covering all the main qualitative approaches now used in psychology - the Second Edition offers readers a step-by-step guide to carrying out research using each particular method with plenty of pedagogical advice. All chapters are written by international experts - many of them key figures in either the inception or development of their chosen method. Key features of the Second Edition include: - updated and extended chapters - examples of good research studies using each approach - text boxes and further readings
Analysing Qualitative Data in Psychology by
Analysing Qualitative Data in Psychology equips students and researchers in psychology and the social sciences to carry out qualitative data analysis, focusing on four major methods (grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, discourse analysis and narrative analysis). Assuming no prior knowledge of qualitative research, chapters on the nature, assumptions and practicalities of each method are written by acknowledged experts. To help students and researchers make informed methodological choices about their own research the book addresses data collection and the writing up of research using each method, while providing a sustained comparison of the four methods, backed up with authoritative analyses using the different methods.
Introducing qualitative research in psychology by
The book examines: Reflexivity and ethics The benefits of the different approaches and comparisons of them Appropriate ways of writing up research This edition contains more interactive exercises and tasks in order to help students understand what they are learning, as well as three qualitative research reports with annotations highlighting key issues for novice researchers.
Qualitative Methods in Psychology: a Research Guide by
Providing an accessible introduction to qualitative methods, this book combines a solid grounding in the theory behind research methods, with a practical guide to conducting qualitative investigations, and a critical assessment of these methods. Thoroughly revised, the new edition reflects the changes that have taken place in research methods in recent years and features a new three part layout, with the individual sections covering: Orientations - broad considerations about qualitative research Methodologies - includes worked examples of major different qualitative research approaches: observation, ethnography, interviewing, personal construct, psychosocial analysis, narrative enquiry and historical analyses Representations - a guide to writing up qualitative research, with an emphasis on reflexivity and ethics The new edition covers the BPS syllabus for qualitative methods and includes new chapters on: Phenomenology Psychosocial analysis Narrative inquiry Future directions for qualitative research Emerging forms of representation Problems in qualitative research Qualitative Methods in Psychology 2nd edition is key reading for psychology students and professionals who use psychological research methods in their work.
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology by
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology provides comprehensive coverage of the qualitative methods, strategies and research issues in psychology, combining ′how-to-do-it′ summaries with an examination of historical and theoretical foundations. Examples from recent research are used to illustrate how each method has been applied, the data analysed and insights gained. Chapters provide a ′state of the art′ review, take stock of what′s been achieved so far and map trajectories for future developments. As such, the book will constitute a valuable resource for both experienced qualitative researchers and novices for many years to come. The Handbook is divided into three main sections. Part 1: Methods contains fourteen chapters on methodological approaches, ranging from established ones like Ethnography and Grounded Theory to more recent ones such as Memory Work. Part 2: Perspectives & Techniques includes chapters on Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research, key alternative standpoints such as Feminism, the use of computer technologies and the internet in qualitative research. Part 3: Applications reviews qualitative methods applied to13 sub-disciplines ranging from Cognitive to Post-colonial Psychology.
SAGE quantitative research methods by
For more than 40 years, SAGE has been one of the leading international publishers of works on quantitative research methods in the social sciences. This new collection provides readers with a representative sample of the best articles in quantitative methods that have appeared in SAGE journals as chosen by W. Paul Vogt.
Quantitative research for the qualitative researcher by
Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher' is a concise text that provides students who are not predisposed to mathematical or scientific thinking with the needed conceptual and practical understanding of quantitative methodology
Quantitative Psychological Research by
This book expertly guides the reader through all stages involved in undertaking quantitative psychological research, from accessing the relevant literature, through designing and conducting a study, analysing and interpreting data, and finally reporting the research. This third edition includes two new chapters - on preliminary checking of data and allowing for additional variables when comparing the means of different conditions - and expands on original topics such as choosing sample sizes and how to test for mediation effects. It also contains increased coverage of tests and further detail of techniques and terms which psychologists will meet when working with those in the medical professions. As the chapters focus on choosing appropriate statistical tests and how to interpret and report them (rather than the detailed calculations, which appear in appendices), the reader is able to gain an understanding of a test without being interrupted by the need to understand the complex mathematics behind it. In addition, for the first time, the book is accompanied by an online bank of multiple choice questions. The book helps readers to: Locate reports of relevant existing research Design research while adhering to ethical principles Identify various methods which can be used to ask questions or observe behaviour Choose appropriate samples Display and analyse findings numerically and graphically to test hypotheses Report psychological research in a variety of ways. As such, the book is suitable for psychology students and professionals at all levels, and is particularly useful to those working in Health and Clinical Psychology.
Big Data in Psychological Research by
Technological advances have led to an abundance of widely available data on every aspect of life today. Psychologists today have more information than ever before on human cognition, emotion, attitudes, and behavior. Big Data in Psychological Research addresses the opportunities and challenges that this data presents to psychological researchers. This edited collection provides an overview of theoretical approaches to the utility and purpose of big data, approaches to research design and analysis, collection methods, applications, limitations, best practice recommendations, and key issues related to privacy, security, and ethical concerns that are essential to understand for anyone working with big data. The book also discusses potential future research directions aimed at improving the quality and interpretation of big data projects, as well as the training and evaluation of psychological science teams that conduct research using big data.
Research Methods in Psychology by
Psychologists use a variety of research methods and tools to learn about behavior and mental processes. The goal of this book is to introduce students to the "multimethod approach" to research in psychology, including observational, survey, and experimental methods. Students learn the strengths and weaknesses of each method, as well as ethical dilemmas when using them, so that they can become competent practitioners and thoughtful consumers of psychological research. Our approach is to engage students in the research process by describing contemporary research in psychology. Students learn about recent topics such as online dating and Facebook, cross-cultural observations of helping behavior, PTSD in orphaned chimpanzees, Medicaid and Medicare health outcomes, decision-making during Hurricane Katrina, clinical research and DSM-5, and much more. Each chapter's "stretching exercises," "stat tips," review questions, and challenge questions develop students' critical thinking about the psychological research that appears in scientific journals and in popular media. Together with the companion Online Learning Center for students, the 10th edition of Research Methods in Psychology provides a clearly written, compelling introduction to research methods in psychology. Instructors and students can now access their course content through the Connect digital learning platform by purchasing either standalone Connect access or a bundle of print and Connect access. McGraw-Hill Connect® is a subscription-based learning service accessible online through your personal computer or tablet. Choose this option if your instructor will require Connect to be used in the course. Your subscription to Connect includes the following: * SmartBook® - an adaptive digital version of the course textbook that personalizes your reading experience based on how well you are learning the content. * Access to your instructor's homework assignments, quizzes, syllabus, notes, reminders, and other important files for the course. * Progress dashboards that quickly show how you are performing on your assignments and tips for improvement. * The option to purchase (for a small fee) a print version of the book. This binder-ready, loose-leaf version includes free shipping. Complete system requirements to use Connect can be found here: http://www.mheducation.com/highered/platforms/connect/training-support-students.html
Handbook of Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology by
Psychology is of interest to academics from many fields, as well as to the thousands of academic and clinical psychologists and general public who can't help but be interested in learning more about why humans think and behave as they do. This award-winning twelve-volume reference covers every aspect of the ever-fascinating discipline of psychology and represents the most current knowledge in the field. This ten-year revision now covers discoveries based in neuroscience, clinical psychology's new interest in evidence-based practice and mindfulness, and new findings in social, developmental, and forensic psychology.
From Methodology to Methods in Human Psychology by
This Brief aims to provide a theoretically innovative introduction to the methodology of the human sciences. It presents a new version of methodology, as a system of mutually linked acts of creating knowledge where both abstract and concrete features of research are intricately intertwined. It shows how the constructions of particular methods that are used in the science of psychology are interdependent with general psychology. This is exemplified as the Methodology Cycle. The need for an emphasis on the Methodology Cycle grows out of the habitual presentation of methods as if they were independent from the assumptions which they are built upon, with the ultimate goal of searching for and creating universal principles. Chapters discuss the Methodology Cycle and its uses in various areas of empirical study in psychological functions. Featured topics in this Brief include: The strict separation between methodology and methods. Introspection, the primary method of psychology. Extrospection, the act of introspection turned outwards. Generalization and its effect on uniqueness. From Methodology to Methods in Human Psychology will be of interest to psychologists, undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers.
Counseling Research by
This introductory text for counselors-in-training and emerging researchers focuses on research methodology, design, measurement, and evaluation. Richard Balkin and David Kleist explain the primary research methods used in counseling while emphasizing the importance of ethics and multicultural issues, demonstrating a professional counselor identity within the framework of research, and outlining the specific approaches used to inform counseling practice. The book contains four parts: The Essence of Research in the Counseling Profession, Quantitative Research Designs, Qualitative Research Designs, and Practice-Based Research. Key features include case examples that bridge the technicalities of research and the realities of practice; strategies for designing research; guidelines for counselors considering topics for a thesis, a dissertation, or the development of an initial study; examples of current counseling research articles; and suggested activities to enhance understanding of the material in each chapter and facilitate classroom discussion. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com. *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website here *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to permissions@counseling.org