Description: 1. The Practice of Research. A Researcher's Attitude. The Risk of Success. The Research Environment. The Method of Science. Research Projects in Academia. Redefining Scholarly Inquiry. The Research Project and Academic Documentation Requirements. Research Producers and Consumers. Types of Research Studies. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 2. Completing the Academic Research Requirement. Target Date and Deadlines. Finding a Topic. Selecting an Advisor and Advisory Committee. The Research Proposal. The Problem Hearing. Handling Data. Technical Assistance. The Oral Presentation. Final Matters. Terms. Exercises. 3. The Research Report. Preliminary Pages and Appended Materials. The Main Body of the Report. Tense in Research Writing. Avoidance of Sexist and Offensive Language. Style and Manuscript Preparation. Publishing the Results. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 4. Libraries and Related Resources. What is a Library? Library-Like Resources. A Library Research Plan. Note Taking. Critical Reviewing. Copy Machines. Finding Things: Library Resources. Periodical Indexes. Other Indexes. Computerized Indexes. On-Line Indexes. Interlibrary Loan and Visiting Scholar Services. Microform Resources. Internet Resources. Major Reference Tools. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 5. Measuring. Definition. Error. The International System of Units. Compound and Derived Units of Measure. Conversion of Units of Measure. Measurement Instruments. Measurement Protocols. Precision. Validity. Reliability. Efficiency. Objectivity and Subjectivity. Variables and Scales of Measurement. Use of Significant Digits. Measuring the Hard to Measure. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 6. Matters of Design. Validity in Research. Threats to Internal Validity. Threats to External Validity. Methods of Inquiry and Scientific Rigor. Types of Variables in Research. Research Pitfalls. 7. Descriptive Research Methods. Populations and Samples. Methods for Sampling. Sample Size. Methods of Subject Contact. Maximizing the Rate of Subject Participation. Types of Survey Items. Survey Item Construction. The Delphi Method. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 8. Experimental Research Concepts. Exploring and Experimenting. Where Do Hypotheses Come From? The Null Hypothesis and Its Alternatives. Notation for Research Designs. Pre-Experimental Designs. True Experimental Designs. Other Designs. Quasi-Experimental Designs. Meta-Analysis. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 9. Historical Research Methods. Scholarly Work in History. Historical Methods. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 10. Exploratory and Qualitative Research Methods. The Focus Group Interview. The In-Depth Individual Interview. Systematic Observation. Participant and Non-Participant Observation. Content Analysis. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 11. Data Presentation. Bar Charts. Proportional Graphs. Scatter Diagrams. Line Graphs. Tree Diagrams. Flow Charts. Maps. Tabular Presentation of Data. Data Presentation Media. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 12. Elementary Statistics. Learning Statistics. Parametric and Non-Parametric Statistics. Basic Descriptive Statistics. The Central Tendency of Vector and Matrix Data. Variability. Symmetry and Kurtosis. Transformation of Data. Terms. Exercises. 13. Relationships Among Variables. Multivariate Data. Associate of Bivariate Data. Correlation vs. Causation. Correlation Statistics. Other Linear Correlation Statistics. Is an Association Real? The Variance Interpretation of Correlation: Is an Association Meaningful? Comparing and Combining Correlation. Coefficients. Non-Linear Associations. The Regression Line. Partial and Multiple Correlation and Multiple Regression. Polynomial Regression. Terms. Exercises. 14. Making Group Comparisons. Type I and Type II Error and Selection of the Alpha Level. Tests of Significance: Alternative Hypotheses. The z-Test. The t-Tests. Analysis of Variance. One-Way Analysis of Variance. Two-Way Analysis of Variance. Fixed, Random, and Mixed Effects in ANOVA. Multiple Comparisons. Analysis of Covariance. Regression Analysis of Variance. Multivariate Analysis of Variance and Regression. Nonparametric Tests. Chi-Square. Chi-Square Test of Independence. Chi-Square Test for Goodness of Fit. The Validity of Chi-Square. Sign Tests. Rank Tests. Is a Difference Meaningful? Tests Used in Meta-Analysis. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotation. 15. Ethical Issues in Research. Plagiarism. Cheating. Copyright Infringement. Rights of Human and Animal Subjects. Scientific Ritual. Environmental Protection. Conflicts of Interest. Authorship and Publishing Standards. Terms. Exercises. Additional Resources with Annotations. Appendix A: Quick Math Review. Appendix B: Sample Letter and Form. Appendix C: MATHCAD Programs. Appendix D: Computer Programs. References.

Please Wait