Skip to Main Content

Social Care: Dissertation Research Support

Introduction

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Research Methods Resources

E-Books

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.

Sage Research Methods

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.

E-Book Central

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

Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed-Methods, Art-Based and Community Based (2017) P. Leavy

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

Reviewing Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences: A Guide for Researchers and Reviewers (2012) Trainer

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

Researching Sustainabiliy: A Guide to Social Sciences Methods, Practice and Engagement (2011) Franklin

The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research (2014) Leavy

An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis: Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research (2010) Savin-Baden

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

Research Methodology in the Social Behavioural and Life Sciences: Designs, Models and Methods (1999) Ader

Change Research: A Case Study on Collaborative Methods for Social Workers and Advocates (2011) Shdaimh

Participatory Action Research (2015) Lawson

Introduction to Research Methods and Report Writing: A Practical Guide for Students and Researchers in the Social Sciences and Humanities (2016) Mligo

Student Research and Report Writing: From Topic Selection to the Complete Paper (2016) Wang

Understanding and Applying Research Design (2012) Abbott

Social Research (2010) May

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

Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education, Health and Social Science (2010) Bell

Statistical Methods for Practice and Research: A guide to Data Analysis using SPSS (2009) Gaur

Starting Statistics: A Short Clear Guide (2010) Burdess

Starting Out in Statistics (2014) de Winter

Managing Your Referencing Workflow

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   

  1. EndNote Online: Available without downloading to your computer or adding a licence key. You can use it to collect and format your references and create bibliographies. The web version is free but you need to register and set up an account, you can do this here http://www.myendnoteweb.com   
  2.  Endnote Desktop version: This is the full licenced version of EndNote and it needs to be installed onto your computer. You need to get an installation link and a product licence key to complete the installation. 

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:

  • Exporting records to Endnote Online from the Search and Find: Online Resources Saved Items folder.

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.

New Research Methods Books

Research Starters

Looking for Topic Overviews!

Check out Research Starters

Research Starters Sociology offers convenient 3,000 word topic overviews with concise, yet comprehensive content on 500 topics and quality study guides written by subject matter experts who have been consulted to ensure that the articles encompass current trends and hot topics.