Understanding Research in the Digital Age

Sarah Quinton is a researcher fascinated by how digitalisation is changing society and how we as researchers explore that changed society. As an academic Sarah teaches research methods with a particular focus on the breadth and ethical implications of digital research possibilities and she spends much time encouraging her Masters’ and PhD students to consider the opportunities and complexities of digital research.  Previous writing for Sage includes a text book Postgraduate research in business: a critical guide. Sarah’s research centres around how and why digital technologies are shaping the world of consumption, small business strategy, and citizen behaviour. Her work has been published in multiple international journals including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, International Journal of Management Reviews. Sarah Quinton is Chair of the Research Ethics Committee and a Senior Lecturer in the Marketing Department, Faculty of Business, Oxford Brookes University, UK. Nina Reynolds has a long established research stream that focuses on research methods, starting with her MPhil and PhD research projects. This is reflected in her contribution to both qualifying (Master/Doctoral) and non-qualifying research methods education within and across institutions. She is currently supervising a number of research students that are facing the problems associated with research in the digital age. As well as her methodological research stream, her other research interests currently focus on understanding how consumers might develop or increase their wellbeing through consumption, and how transformative services realise positive outcomes. While this is her first text, her methodological research has been published in a number of journals including Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review, and the International Journal of Market Research.Nina Reynolds is a Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Business and the Marketing Discipline Leader in the School of Management, Operations and Marketing, University of Wollongong, Australia.

If you use digital data, you should read this book! A valuable guide to the big issues, challenges, and opportunities of social science in the digital age, this book emphasizes ethics, expectations, and expertise --and solid critical thinking. I plan to make good use of it in my teaching.

• Section 1: A Justification & Reconceptualization of Digital ResearchChapter 1: Digital Research as a Phenomenon and a MethodChapter 2: The Changing Research LandscapeSection 2: Accessing Digital DataChapter 3: Characteristics of Digital DataChapter 4: Temporality in Digital ResearchChapter 5: Data Sources for Digital ResearchChapter 6: Research Processes and the Human/Technology InterfaceSection 3: Moving Forward with Digital ResearchChapter 7: The Practicalities of Doing Digital ResearchChapter 8: Conclusion, The Bigger Picture