3 Preface
This book is designed to introduce students to the process of scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. This book is based on my lecture materials developed over a decade of teaching the class on Research Methods at the University of South Florida. The target audience for this book includes students, junior researchers, and professors teaching courses on research methods, although senior researchers can also use this book as a handy and compact reference.
The first and most important question potential readers should have about this book is how is it different from other text books on the market? Well, there are four key differences.
First, unlike other text books, this book is not just about “research methods” (empirical data collection and analysis) but about the entire “research process” from start to end. Research method is only one phase in that research process, and possibly the easiest and most structured one. Most text books cover research methods in depth, but leave out the more challenging, less structured, and probably more important issues such as theorizing and thinking like a researcher, which are often prerequisites of empirical research. In my experience, most students become fairly competent at research methods, but struggle to generate interesting or useful research questions or build scientific theories. To address this deficit, I have devoted entire chapters to topics such as “Thinking Like a Researcher” and “Theories in Scientific Research”, which are essential skills for a junior researcher.
Second, the book is succinct and compact by design. While writing the book, I decided to focus only on essential concepts, and not fill pages with clutter that can divert the students’ attention to less relevant or tangential issues. Most courses include a fair complement of readings drawn from the respective discipline. This book is designed to complement those readings by summarizing all important concepts in one compact volume, rather than burden students with a voluminous text on top of their assigned readings.
Third, this book is free in its download version. Not just the current edition but all future editions in perpetuity. The book will also be available in Kindle e-Book, Apple iBook, and on-demand paperback versions at a nominal cost. Many people have asked why I’m giving away something for free when I can make money selling it? Well, not just to stop my students from constantly complaining about the high price of textbooks, but also because I believe that scientific knowledge should not be constrained by access barriers such as price and availability. Scientific progress can occur only if students and academics around the world have affordable access to the best that science can offer, and this free book is my humble effort to that cause.
However, free should not imply “lower quality.” Some of the best things in life such as air, water, and sunlight are fr