Research Methods by Valerie A. Sheppard is under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-NC-SA Licence, except where otherwise noted. The following is a list of chapters that include content that has been adapted from different sources and may fall under a different licence.

Principles of Sociological Inquiry (CC BY-NC-SA)

These chapters have been adapted from Principles of Sociological Inquiry, which was adapted by the Saylor Academy without attribution to the original authors or publisher, as requested by the licensor. © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

I. Introduction to Research Methods

• Research Paradigms in Social Science
• Inductive Approaches to Research
• Deductive Approaches to Research

II. Ethics in Research

• Research on Human Subjects: An Historical Look
• Institutional Research Review Boards (IRBs)
• A Final Word about the Protection of Research Participants
• Summary

III. Developing a Research Question

• Exploration, Description, Explanation
• Developing a Researchable Research Question
• Hypotheses
• Quantitative, Quantitative, & Mixed Methods Research Approaches

IV. Measurement and Units of Analysis

• Reliability
• Complexities in Measurement
• Units of Analysis and Units of Observation

VI. Data Collection Strategies

• Experiments

VII. Sampling Techniques

• Probabilistic and Non-Probabilistic Sampling Techniques

VIII. Data Collection Methods: Survey Results

• Survey Research: What Is It and When Should It Be Used?
• Pros and Cons of Survey Research
• Administration
• Designing Effective Survey Questions
• Designing Effective Surveys

X. Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Methods

• Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Methods
• When Should It Be Used?
• Qualitative Interview Techniques and Considerations
• Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods
• Analysis of Qualitative Interview Data
• Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Interviews

XI. Quantitative Interview Techniques and Considerations

• Conducting Quantitative Interviews
• Analysis of Quantitative Interview Data
• Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Interviews
• Issues to Consider for All Interview Types

XII. Field Research: A Qualitative Research Technique

• Field Research: What is it?
• Getting In

XIII. Unobtrusive Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

• Pros and Cons of Unobtrusive Research
• Unobtrusive Methods
• Analyzing Others’ Data

XVII. Research Methods in the Real World

• Doing Research for a Living
• Doing Research for a Cause
• Revisiting an Earlier Question: Why Should We Care?
• Understanding Yourself, Your Circumstances, and Your World

Research Methods (CC BY-SA)

The following chapters have been adapted from Research Methods by Joseph K. Adjei. © Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

• The Literature Review
• Experiments

Using Video-Based Observation Research Methods (CC BY)

The following chapter includes content adapted from “Using video-based observation research methods in primary care health encounters to evaluate complex interactions” by Onur Asan and Enid Montague. © Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence.

• Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods

Qualitative Coding & Analysis (CC BY-NC-SA)

The following chapter is an adaption of “Qualitative Coding & Analysis” by Patrick Biddix. © Creative Commons Attributions-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Licence.

• Qualitative Coding, Analysis, and Write-up: The How to Guide