The aim of this page is to highlight online SETU Carlow Library resources that are useful if you are completing a dissertation/research project.
Highlighted resources include research methodology material such as relevant e-books / databases and tips for effectively managing your referencing workflow.
For guidelines on chapter layout etc please refer to your dissertation pack or consult with your supervisor.
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Good Research Practice
þ Keep track of your information sources as you are using them. When searching online Library databases keep a record of relevant journal articles etc. Use the Download or Email facility available through these resources to record Citation/Referencing details or use a Reference Management tool such as EndNote.
þ Be organised when undertaking your research – develop a sustainable workflow
þ Seek clarification from your lecturer/tutor if you are unsure about assignment expectations
þ Practice good time management when completing your assignments – give yourself enough time to write your assignment properly and complete your referencing properly
SETU Carlow Library provides access to a broad range of e-books covering the areas of research methods, use of research methodologies, statistical analysis etc via the databases Sage Research Methods and our dedicated e-book database E-book Central.
SETU's subscription provides full-text access to a wide range of books offering extensive overviews on all aspects of Research Methods. Access is also provided to a range of podcasts from researchers in the Social Sciences and how they deal with methodological issues.
There are a broad range of Research Methods e-books available through this database:
Some useful titles include the following:
Exploring the Archives: A Beginners Guide for Qualitative Researchers (2021) K. Roulson
Development Research in Practice: The DIME Analytics Data Handbook (2021) K. Bjankefur
Rocking Qualitative Social Science: An Irreverant Guide to Rigorous Research (2021) A. Rubin
The Community-Based PhD: complexities and triumphs of conducting CBPR (2022) S. Atalay
Applied Social Research (2019) T.P. Hilton
Action Learning and Action Research (2019) Zuber-Skerritt
Doing a Literature Review in Health and Social Care (2018) H. Aveyard
Quantitative Methods for Health Research (2018) N. Bruce
Research Methods for Graduate Business and Social Science Students (2014) John Adams.
Understanding and Conducting Research in the Health Sciences (2013) Cunningham
Studying Educational and Social Policy: Theoretical Concepts and Research Methods (2004) Heck
The Oxford Handbook of Multimethods and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry (2015) Hesse-Bieber
Research Design for Social Work and the Human Services (2000) Anastas
The Wiley Handbook of Social Studies Research (2017) Manfra
Combining Methods in Educational and Social Research (2004) Gorard
Continuum Companion to Discourse Analysis (2011) Hyland
Researching Health Needs: A Community-Based Approach (1999) Payne
Doing Fieldwork: Ethnographic Methods for Research in Developing Countries and Beyond (2005) Fife
Social Media, Sociality and Survey Research )2013) Hill
Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success: A Focus on Self-Regulated Learning (2012) Dembo
Feminist Research Methodology: Making Meaning of Meaning-Making (2009) Wickramasinghe
The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research (2014) Leavy
Doing Qualitative Community Research: Lessons for Faculty Students and the Community (2012) Quimby
In search of...New Methodological Approaches to Youth Research (2015) Allaste
Visual Methods in Psychology: Using and Interpreting Images in Qualitative Research (2011) Reavey
Research Methods in Social Relations (2014) Maruyama
Research Methods for the Social Sciences (2007) Wellington
Visual Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Awakening Visions (2011) Spencer
Introducing Social Research Methods: Essentials for Getting the Edge (2016) Ruane
Assessing the Quality of Survey Data (2012) Blasius
Basic Statistics for Social Research (2012) Hanneman
Qualitative Data: An Introduction to Coding and Analysis (2003) Auerbach
Participatory Action Research (2015) Lawson
Student Research and Report Writing: From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper (2016) Wang
Understanding and Applying Research Design (2012) Abbott
Essentials of Social Research (2008) Kalof
Ethics in Social Research (2012) Love
Do It Yourself Social Research (2011) Wadsworth
Using Documents in Social Research (2003) Prior
Statistical Methods for Practice and Research: A guide to Data Analysis using SPSS (2009) Gaur
It is recommended that you effectively manage your referencing workflow as you progress through your literature searching. It is advisable to save the referencing details of relevant material such as journal articles, case studies, books etc that you are consulting for your literature review. These bibliographic details will be required for your bibliography. To this end, it is useful to use a referencing management software tool which allows you to collate, organise and format your references. When searching Search and Find: Online Resources it is also possible to email a list of saved references through the Folder option.
Reference Management Tools can help you to easily organise, store and manage your citations. Choose the citation tool most applicable to your needs and easily cite as you write, with add-ons for MS Word and Google Docs. Endnote is the main reference management tool supported by SETU Carlow Libraries, with a licensing agreement in place. However, there are many free open source tools which you may find suitable for your research.
There are two versions of Endnote : Online and Desktop
EndNote Online
EndNote Online (formerly called EndNote Web) allows you to access your EndNote library from any PC with an Internet connection, to create bibliographies in Word and to share your library with group members.
Creating an EndNote Online account
When you first access EndNote Online you MUST Register at https://www.myendnoteweb.com/. Once you have created your account you will be able to use EndNote from anywhere once you have a PC with Internet access.
Once an account has been set up it is possible to export references from the Search and Find: Online Resources search service to EndNote Online by the following method:
When a search of Search and Find: Online Resources is performed and records have been saved into the Saved Items folder using the 
icon these items can be exported to EndNote Online by opening the Saved Items folder 
and selecting the required references and then the Export option:
On the next screen selected the Direct Export to EndNote Online option:
and click on Save
NOTE: it is recommended that EndNote Online is opened before starting the export process – if EndNote Online has not been opened, the login screen will be shown before the export is completed.
Once finished EndNote Online will display a confirmation that the export has successfully completed:
Further help on using EndNote Online can be found at http://clarivate.libguides.com/endnote_training/endnote_online.
Looking for Topic Overviews!
Check out Research Starters
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