Social Research Methods

After twenty years in architectural practice in Scotland, England and Switzerland designing a wide range of buildings, industrial, commercial, residential, and renovating and restoring historic buildings, I returned to academic activities when I embarked on a Ph.D. at Oxford Brookes University.  My university teaching and examining experience has been at all levels, with the preponderance at postgraduate level. I have supervised to successful completion twenty Ph.D. students and two MPhils, 1 KTP, and examined 13 Ph.D. candidates. I have published several popular textbooks and guides on construction aspects and on how to do research for students and practitioners and how to write Ph.D. theses, Masters and Undergraduate dissertations.  As Senior Researcher, Oxford Institute of Sustainable Development – Architectural Engineering Group, my research was based mainly on the technology of building construction - innovative, existing and historic, on vernacular architecture, and issues regarding accessibility in buildings and surroundings. My published papers and reports are read internationally and have been presented at international conferences.

This text takes a well-balanced view of research in the social sciences and gives the reader a basic theoretical grounding and structure on which to develop their understanding of research and support their practices.  The theory and methods discussed in this edition would be of interest to a wide range of disciplines where research considers the thoughts, feelings and actions of people.

• PART ONE: PLANNING AND DESIGNING YOUR RESEARCHChapter 1: Theoretical backgroundChapter 2: Research basicsChapter 3: Research strategies and designChapter 4: The nature of dataChapter 5: Doing a literature reviewChapter 6: Defining the research problemChapter 7: EthicsChapter 8: Writing a research proposalPART TWO: COLLECTING AND ANALYSING YOUR DATAChapter 9: SamplingChapter 10: Data collection methodsChapter 11: Quantitative data analysisChapter 12: Qualitative data analysisPART THREE: WRITING UP YOUR RESEARCHChapter 13: Presenting Data GraphicallyChapter 14: Writing up a dissertation or research projectPART FOUR: SUCCEEDING IN YOUR RESEARCH METHODS COURSEChapter 15: How to get the most out of your lectures and seminarsChapter 16: How to Get the Best out of Reading and Note TakingChapter 17: How to Write Great Essays