Technical Services Tidbits : Research, Research, and WRITING!

Having problems starting a research project?  Unsure of the method you should use in your research or how to start a research project?  Trying to write your findings in a clear and concise manner?  Check out these titles in the MVCC Library collection for guidance:

Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions (John W. Creswell)   “attempts to answer the question: how does the type or tradition of qualitative inquiry shape the design of a study?  As a result, Creswell examines five different traditions of qualitative inquiry – biography, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and case studies and compare them in 6 phases of research design.” (p. 2)

Qualitative research: a personal skills approach (Gary D. Shank)  takes the reader through the personal and analytical skills needed to effectively perform research and provides exercises of the various levels involved including: observing, conversing, participating, interpreting, conceptualizing, reasoning, analyzing, narrating and writing.

Writing up qualitative research (Harry F. Wolcott)  helps the reader answer the question,  “What do I  include in the analysis of the data collected from my research?”  The book also gives strategies and ideas for organizing your data; staying focused; writing and editing your final report.

You don’t have a detailed project report due, but you do have to write a research paper on a particular subject; here are resources for helping write a better paper and  clean up those pesky problems with grammar along the way:

Style: toward clarity and grace (Joseph M. Williams)  provides a guide for better writing; by showing the reader the basic mechanics of writing including sentence creation and paragraph organization; and the differences between bad and good writing.

The glamour of grammar: a guide to the magic and mystery of practical English (Roy Peter Clark) is a “practical guide to various parts of speech designed to improve communication and writing skills.” (Publisher)

Additional Resources

Narrative analysis (Catherine Kohler Riessman)

Phenomenological research methods (Clark Moustakas)

A Manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago style for students and researchers (Kate L. Turabian) 

Elements of style (William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White)

The SMART way: an introduction to writing for nurses (Glennis Zilm)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com