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Notes
table of contents
Contents
- Student and Instructor Resources
- Copyright Information
- Acknowledgements and Contributors
- Version Information
- 1. Introduction to research
- 1.0 Chapter introduction
- 1.1 How do social workers know what to do?
- 1.2 Science and social work
- 1.3 Why should we care?
- 1.4 Understanding research
- 2. Beginning a research project
- 2.0 Chapter introduction
- 2.1 Getting started
- 2.2 Sources of information
- 2.3 Finding literature
- 3. Reading and evaluating literature
- 3.0 Chapter introduction
- 3.1 Reading an empirical journal article
- 3.2 Evaluating sources
- 3.3 Refining your question
- 4. Conducting a literature review
- 4.0 Chapter introduction
- 4.1 What is a literature review?
- 4.2 Synthesizing literature
- 4.3 Writing the literature review
- 5. Ethics in social work research
- 5.0 Chapter introduction
- 5.1 Research on humans
- 5.2 Specific ethical issues to consider
- 5.3 Ethics at micro, meso, and macro levels
- 5.4 The practice of science versus the uses of science
- 6. Linking methods with theory
- 6.0 Chapter introduction
- 6.1 Micro, meso, and macro approaches
- 6.2 Paradigms, theories, and how they shape a researcher’s approach
- 6.3 Inductive and deductive reasoning
- 7. Design and causality
- 7.0 Chapter introduction
- 7.1 Types of research
- 7.2 Causal relationships
- 7.3 Unit of analysis and unit of observation
- 7.4 Mixed Methods
- 8. Creating and refining a research question
- 8.0 Chapter introduction
- 8.1 Empirical versus ethical questions
- 8.2 Writing a good research question
- 8.3 Quantitative research questions
- 8.4 Qualitative research questions
- 8.5 Feasibility and importance
- 8.6 Matching question and design
- 9. Defining and measuring concepts
- 9.0 Chapter introduction
- 9.1 Measurement
- 9.2 Conceptualization
- 9.3 Operationalization
- 9.4 Measurement quality
- 9.5 Complexities in quantitative measurement
- 10. Sampling
- 10.0 Chapter introduction
- 10.1 Basic concepts of sampling
- 10.2 Sampling in qualitative research
- 10.3 Sampling in quantitative research
- 10.4 A word of caution: Questions to ask about samples
- 11. Survey research
- 11.0 Chapter introduction
- 11.1 Survey research: What is it and when should it be used?
- 11.2 Strengths and weaknesses of survey research
- 11.3 Types of surveys
- 11.4 Designing effective questions and questionnaires
- 12. Experimental design
- 12.0 Chapter introduction
- 12.1 Experimental design: What is it and when should it be used?
- 12.2 Pre-experimental and quasi-experimental design
- 12.3 The logic of experimental design
- 12.4 Analyzing quantitative data
- 13. Interviews and focus groups
- 13.0 Chapter introduction
- 13.1 Interview research: What is it and when should it be used?
- 13.2 Qualitative interview techniques
- 13.3 Issues to consider for all interview types
- 13.4 Focus groups
- 13.5 Analyzing qualitative data
- 14. Unobtrusive research
- 14.0 Chapter introduction
- 14.1 Unobtrusive research: What is it and when should it be used?
- 14.2 Strengths and weaknesses of unobtrusive research
- 14.3 Unobtrusive data collected by you
- 14.4 Secondary data analysis
- 14.5 Reliability in unobtrusive research
- 15. Real-world research
- 15.0 Chapter introduction
- 15.1 Evaluation research
- 15.2 Single-subjects design
- 15.3 Action research
- 16. Reporting research
- 16.0 Chapter introduction
- 16.1 What to share and why we share
- 16.2 Disseminating your findings
- 16.3 The uniqueness of the social work perspective on science
- Glossary
- Practice behavior index
- Attributions index