Social Sciences Research

Research, Writing, and Presentation Strategies for Students

By (author) Gail M. Staines

Publication date:

06 March 2019

Length of book:

112 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538122402

This is a complete revision with new material of the second edition of Social Sciences Research: Research, Writing, and Presentation Strategies for Students (Scarecrow Press, 2008). There have been significant changes in the research process in the social sciences since the second edition of this text was published in 2008 – a decade ago. The plethora of new information technologies (e.g., smart phones, tablets, apps, etc.); the information overload not only on the Internet where anyone can publish, but also with the explosion of social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.); as well as the far reaching changes in databases and other sources of electronic information that is available.

Complementing the manual are appendixes consisting of a list of possible research questions, an example paper, a complete set of worksheets, and blank citation forms to be used to record references, which provide further practice for students. In this third edition, the author has included more instruction on searches using electronic sources as well as new formatting guidelines that have been promulgated in the past several years. The ideal resource for college students, this manual addresses the finer points of research and writing that are not given enough instruction in the classroom.
The book is encouraging, clearly written, and easy to understand, especially when addressing searching, ILL, outlines, "Filter Bubbles," and "Presenting Your Research" sections. The third edition contains very useful worksheets and examples throughout.