Kumar - Research Methodology.

This edition contains essential information for beginning researchers and it is presented in a clear and coherent way which engagesthe reader. The reader is supported through references to research, questions posed and very well thought through examples. This is a publication which is a pleasure to read cover to cover, although it can be dipped into as necessary.

Dr Liane Purnell, Senior lecturer, Newman University College

Praise for the third edition:

Great book, we really like it. Students were motivated much better this year than in any of the previous years, this book was a large factor in that.

Dr Dirk Janssen, IGAD, NHTV International Breda University

Does exactly what it says. It gives an excellent base to build upon. Especially in a subject that some find difficult to immediately grasp. The layout is excellent and the content inclusive. The text and diagrams are very good and enables the student to have a good basis to work from during the tricky first research steps taken. I am also sure that it will be a suitable aide memoire for those more experienced researchers who may have been out of the environment for a while.

Ms Joanne ODonnell, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester

Fast becoming a firm favourite amongst many of our students; it is both comprehensive and accessible. This third edition marks a substantial improvement over the second. Students find his chapters on formulating a research problem and reviewing the literature, particularly helpful.

John Hoffman, Medical and Social Care Education, University of Leicester

Ranjit Kumar 2014

First edition published 1999. Second edition 2005. Third edition 2010. This edition 2014

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013942820

British Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-4462-6996-1
ISBN 978-1-4462-6997-8 (pbk)

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To my daughter, Parul

BRIEF CONTENTS

CONTENTS

FIGURES

TABLES

GUIDED TOUR

How to use this book and its online resources

To better support your study, Ranjit Kumars Research Methodology, 4th edition is supported by a wealth of online resources which can be accessed on the books companion website and on a mobile version of that site called MobileStudy.

Throughout the book you will see the icons below in the margins telling you when additional resources are available online, including:

	Videos containing examples of real world research and advice on how to conduct your research project.
	Further Reading from selected SAGE Journal articles and book chapters allowing you delve deeper into key concepts.
	Weblinks to sites offering additional resources to support your study.
	Printouts of the exercises and key figures from the book, to use in class or independently to guide you through your research.

Using the companion website and MobileStudy

If you want to revise using your computer, visit the companion website at www.uk.sagepub.com/kumar4e. If you are studying on the go, scan this QR code to access a mobile optimised version of the companion website called MobileStudy on your smartphone or tablet.

On the companion website and Mobile Study you will find videos, further reading and the printouts highlighted in the margins of each chapter, along with access to a research methods online community called Methodspace, multiple choice quizzes and flashcards to test your understanding.

Lecturers who visit the companion website will gain access to:

Testbanks containing multiple choice questions for each chapter that can be used for student assessment.

PowerPoint(TM) Slides of the key concepts of each chapter and of all the figures and tables from the book. These slides can be easily adapted to be added to your own lecture slides.

Instructors Guide outlining the aims of each chapter with three additional chapter activities ideal for use in seminars and class discussions.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author and SAGE would like to thank the reviewers for their time, help and feedback, which has helped shape the current edition of the book.

Luke Sloan, Lecturer in Quantitative Methods, Cardiff University

Paul Willard, Lecturer in Event Management, La Trobe University (Bendigo campus)

Dr. Margaret Hanson, Senior Lecture in Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University

Jonathan Lord, Lecturer, University of Salford

Dr Liane Purnell, Senior Lecturer, Newman University

Javed Vassilis Khan, Senior Lecturer, NHTV University

A very special thanks to Stephanie Fleischer from the University of Brighton for creating all of the companion website resources accompanying the new edition of Research Methodology: A Step-by-step Guide for Beginners. To view the materials supporting this book visit: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/kumar4e

PREFACE

This book is based upon my experiences in research as a student, practitioner and teacher. The difficulties I faced in understanding research as a student, my discoveries about what was applicable and inapplicable in the field as a research practitioner, my development of the ability to effectively communicate difficult concepts in simple language without sacrificing technicality and accuracy as a teacher, and the feedback of many experts who participated in the evaluations carried out by Pearson Australia on the first edition and Sage UK on the second and third editions, have become the basis of this book. Many aspects of methodology were added on the basis of the feedback of teachers of research methods from a number of countries.