Dissertation Research Methods

Dissertation Research Methods: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Up Your Research in the Social Sciences focuses specifically on the methodology for planning, writing and submitting your dissertation thesis. Written by two methodology experts in the social sciences, the book provides a step-by-step guide through each stage of the dissertation process. It covers all aspects of the methodological considerations needed, from choosing a topic or research question, developing a literature review, identifying research gaps, accessing potential study participants, utilizing the right sampling strategies, analyzing data and writing up findings. Readers are introduced to the main research methods normally used in dissertations and their characteristics, and they are guided to choose an appropriate research method for their study, provide a substantial description of the selected method and articulate strong arguments in support of it. The book is filled with templates, exemplars and tools to help students write about methodology in their thesis and to equip readers to successfully troubleshoot any methodology challenges they may face. This compact book will be of use to all graduate students and their supervisors in the Social Sciences and Education and Behavioural Sciences who are looking for a guide to working with robust and defensible methodological principles in their dissertation research and theses.

Philip Adu is a methodology expert and founder of the Center for Research Methods Consulting. He has provided research methodology services to clients for over ten years. He is also a contributing faculty at Walden University. Dr. Adu is the author of A Step-by-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Coding (2019). He is also a co-author of The Theoretical Framework in Phenomenological Research (2022). D. Anthony Miles is CEO and founder of Miles Development Industries Corporation®, a consulting practice and venture capital acquisition firm. He also has extensive experience with dissertations and assisting doctoral students. Dr. Miles has served as a dissertation chair, methodologist and statistician. He has over ten years' experience with dissertations and has worked with over 100 doctoral students. In 2009, he was awarded the USASBE Doctoral Consortium fellowship for his doctoral research.

1. Planning Your Dissertation 2. Conducting a Literature Review and Developing a Theoretical/Conceptual Framework 3. Understanding the Types of Dissertation Research 4. Choosing an Appropriate Research Methodology 5. Understanding the Seven Types of Research Gaps 6. Developing the Research Problem 7. Developing the Purpose Statement 8. Developing the Research Statement and Research Questions 9. Research Alignment: Achieving Research Alignment in the Study 10. Understanding Limitations and Delimitations 11. Understanding Assumptions and How to Write Them in a Study 12. Understanding the Differences Between Contributions and the Significance of a Study 13. Deciding on the Source of Data 14. Understanding the Different Kinds of Data Collection Strategies 15. Planning and Implementing the Data Collection Process 16. Understanding Populations and Sampling 17. Planning and Implementing the Data Analysis Process 18. Ensuring Quality in the Study 19. Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format - Chapter 1 (Introduction) 20. Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format - Chapter 2 (Literature Review) 21. Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format - Chapter 3 (Research Methodology) 22. Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format - Chapter 4 (Data Analysis and Findings) 23. Writing Your Dissertation: The Standard Format - Chapter 5 (Discussion and Conclusions)