The postgraduate research handbook : succeed with your MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD / Gina Wisker.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This lively and rigorous book provides guidance on planning and conducting postgraduate research. Divided into four parts, each of which looks at a different stage of the process, it covers everything from choosing a research area and selecting appropriate methodologies to analysing data and learning from feedback. Chapters contain both active and reflective tasks to help readers develop the skills needed to produce a high-quality dissertation or thesis and offer supportive advice on establishing successful working relationships with supervisors and peers.

Clear and accessible in its approach, this book is an indispensable introduction to successful research for postgraduates of all disciplines.

New to this Edition:
- Fully revised and improved sections on methodology, theorising, engaging with the literature and life after research
- Additional guidance on developing soft skills, such as communication and time management, and becoming an active member of the academic community

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Figures and Tables (p. x)
• Acknowledgements (p. xi)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• What the book does not do (p. 3)
• What the book does and how it is structured (p. 4)
• Part 1 Starting Research
• 2 Starting Your Postgraduate Research (p. 9)
• Why do an MA, MPhil, PhD or other Doctorate? (p. 9)
• Planning, key issues and suggestions (p. 12)
• Starting to think about developing a hypothesis and/or research questions (p. 14)
• 3 Choosing the Right Research Degree (p. 23)
• Types of degree (p. 23)
• Varieties of research degree (p. 25)
• Choosing your university and supervisor (p. 27)
• 4 Choosing Your Supervisor(s) (p. 32)
• Introduction (p. 32)
• Choosing your supervisor, and internal regulations (p. 33)
• Working with your supervisors: initial contracts and contacts (p. 34)
• Managing your supervisor (p. 35)
• Things to ask/not to ask your supervisor(s) (p. 38)
• Planning to get the most from your supervisor (p. 39)
• What research students can expect of supervisors - a brief summary (p. 39)
• Stages of supervisions - what you might expect at different stages (p. 42)
• Planning work and supervisions (p. 44)
• 5 Research Questions and Hypotheses (p. 48)
• Developing research questions or hypotheses for research proposals and the research (p. 49)
• The research process (p. 51)
• Stating your title (p. 52)
• Research questions (p. 54)
• Key stages - developing a hypothesis or research questions (p. 54)
• 'Operationalising' a concept (p. 55)
• Boundaries and gaps (p. 58)
• What kind of research is yours going to be? (p. 61)
• Stages of asking the research question (p. 62)
• 6 Research Methodologies (p. 65)
• Choosing research methodologies (p. 65)
• Methodology (p. 66)
• Research approaches (p. 70)
• Methodology, worldview, methods, data and research (p. 74)
• Using qualitative and quantitative research methods together (p. 75)
• 7 Conceptual Frameworks (p. 78)
• Research paradigms and perspectives (p. 78)
• Some examples of areas (p. 80)
• 8 Ethics and Confidentiality (p. 86)
• Typical procedures and their history (p. 86)
• 9 Writing a Research Proposal (p. 95)
• What do you want to research? How you can draw up a good proposal (p. 97)
• Part 2 Getting Going - Supervisors, Time and Community
• 10 Managing Your Supervisor(s) (p. 107)
• Planning work and supervisions (p. 107)
• Learning contracts (p. 109)
• 11 Managing the Balancing Act (p. 123)
• Balancing what? (p. 124)
• Varieties of roles and activities - an audit (p. 125)
• What kind of balancing act suits you? (p. 126)
• 12 Managing Your Time and Tasks (p. 130)
• Good planning: long-, medium- and short-term management of time (p. 131)
• Overall planning and the cycle of research (p. 131)
• 13 Learning as a Research Student - Learning Approaches, Styles and Pitfalls (p. 140)
• Learning styles: deep, surface and strategic learning (p. 141)
• Disciplines (p. 142)
• What kind of learner are you? (p. 144)
• 14 Developing a Supportive Research Culture Locally and at a Distance (p. 157)
• Group/project team supervisions (p. 158)
• Self-managed groups and networks (p. 159)
• Peer pairing (p. 160)
• Peer support systems over a distance (p. 161)
• Using electronic and video links to support research students in their work (p. 162)
• Different modes of contact explored (p. 163)
• Other peer-support systems - establishing a research culture (p. 164)
• Part 3 Carrying Out the Research and Starting to Write
• 15 Carrying out a Literature Review - Developing the Theoretical Perspectives Chapter (p. 169)
• A literature review/theoretical perspectives chapter (p. 170)
• International students - some particular issues (p. 172)
• Carrying out the literature review (p. 174)
• Writing the theoretical perspectives chapter (p. 180)
• 16 Methods in Brief (p. 186)
• Quantitative research methods - designing and using questionnaires (p. 187)
• Qualitative research methods - interviews, focus groups and observation (p. 191)
• Case study 1 (p. 210)
• Case study 2 (p. 211)
• 17 Using Grounded Theory, Case Studies, Journals and Synectics (p. 213)
• Grounded theory (p. 213)
• Case studies (p. 216)
• Case study 1 (p. 218)
• Case study 2 (p. 219)
• Journals (p. 221)
• Synectics (p. 222)
• 18 Action Research and Practitioner-based Research (p. 227)
• Benefits of practitioner-based research (p. 227)
• Possible pitfalls or problems (p. 228)
• Action research (p. 229)
• Phenomenography (p. 238)
• 19 Problem-based or Enquiry-based Research and Problem Solving (p. 242)
• Stages of problem-based or enquiry-based research (p. 243)
• Case study (p. 245)
• 20 Research Methods for the Arts and Humanities (p. 251)
• The documenting, critiquing and creative continuum (p. 252)
• The form and shape of arts and humanities theses (p. 262)
• Case study 1 (p. 264)
• Case study 2 (p. 264)
• Researching your own creative work/using the creative in your research work (p. 265)
• Part 4 Support, Progress, Analysis, Writing Up, The Viva, Presentations and Afterwards
• 21 Being Organised, Keeping Records, Writing Up, Stage-by-Stage (p. 271)
• Time and task plan - key stages and obvious potentially difficult moments (p. 272)
• 22 Writing the Thesis or Dissertation (p. 278)
• Developing the framework of different chapters (p. 278)
• The shape of the thesis as it develops (p. 280)
• Models (p. 281)
• Elements of the structure of the thesis explained - and variants discussed (p. 283)
• 23 Overcoming Writing Blocks and Learning from Feedback (p. 292)
• Writing (p. 292)
• Analysis of narratives, interviews, interactions, cases (p. 294)
• Some ideas about the writing habit (p. 299)
• Developing writing (p. 305)
• 24 Analysing Data and Thinking about Findings (p. 313)
• Making sense of your data - interpretation and findings (p. 314)
• Managing data, both quantitative and qualitative (p. 315)
• Annotating (p. 315)
• Summarising and generalising (p. 316)
• Qualitative data activity (p. 319)
• Documentary analysis (p. 320)
• Findings (p. 321)
• 25 Learning from Feedback (p. 326)
• Working with supervisor and other feedback (p. 326)
• 26 Writing Transfer Documents and Progress Reports for MPhil, EdD and PhD Theses (p. 336)
• Open University (OU) EdD (p. 336)
• Transfer to a PhD (p. 338)
• MPhil, PhD and EdD - scope and differences (p. 344)
• Presentation issues to bear in mind as you carry on with your work (p. 347)
• 27 Writing Up: Definitions and Qualities of a Good MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD Thesis (p. 349)
• The Master's dissertation or thesis (p. 349)
• The EdD (p. 350)
• Definitions of a good dissertation or thesis (p. 351)
• Positive features in a successful MPhil and PhD (p. 352)
• Writing up (p. 357)
• 28 Preparing Your Thesis and Dissertation - Coherence, Conclusions and Conceptual Level Work (p. 370)
• The proposal - revisited (p. 371)
• 29 Preparing for and Undertaking Your Viva (p. 376)
• Being prepared (p. 377)
• Postgraduate viva (p. 379)
• Generic questions (p. 381)
• Stress management (p. 384)
• The viva voce - a brief outline (p. 384)
• 30 Dealing with Corrections - Life after the Viva... (p. 388)
• What next? (p. 389)
• Celebrate (p. 391)
• 31 Presentations, Conferences and Publishing (p. 392)
• Plan (p. 394)
• Prepare (p. 395)
• Practise (p. 400)
• Presentation (p. 400)
• Publications (p. 403)
• 32 Life After the Research (p. 410)
• 'Is there life after the research?' (p. 410)
• Bibliography (p. 414)
• Index (p. 425)

Author notes provided by Syndetics