Choosing a Research Topic
HOW TO RESEARCH SECOND EDITION
Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight
Open University Press Buckingham . Philadelphia
Open University Press Celtic Court 22 Ballmoor Buckingham MK18 1XW email: enquiries@openup.co.uk world wide web: www.openup.co.uk and 325 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA First Published 2001 Copyright © Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight, 2001 All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1P 0LP. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 335 20903 3 (pb) 0 335 21121 6 (hb)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Blaxter, Loraine, 1945– How to research / by Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes, and Malcolm Tight. – 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–335–20903–3 (pbk.) 1. Research—Methodology. I. Hughes, Christina, 1952– II. Tight, Malcolm. III. Title. Q180.55.M4 B59 001.4′2–dc21 2001 00-068920
Typeset by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong Printed in Great Britain by Biddles Limited, Guildford and King’s Lynn
CONTENTS
List of exercises List of boxes Acknowledgements 1 Thinking about research Introduction What is research? Why research? What is original? Truth, power and values How to use this book What is different about this edition? Summary Further reading 2 Getting started Introduction Choosing a topic What to do if you can’t think of a topic Focusing Finding and choosing your supervisor Individual and group research
Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight
Open University Press Buckingham . Philadelphia
Open University Press Celtic Court 22 Ballmoor Buckingham MK18 1XW email: enquiries@openup.co.uk world wide web: www.openup.co.uk and 325 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA First Published 2001 Copyright © Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes and Malcolm Tight, 2001 All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1P 0LP. A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 335 20903 3 (pb) 0 335 21121 6 (hb)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Blaxter, Loraine, 1945– How to research / by Loraine Blaxter, Christina Hughes, and Malcolm Tight. – 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–335–20903–3 (pbk.) 1. Research—Methodology. I. Hughes, Christina, 1952– II. Tight, Malcolm. III. Title. Q180.55.M4 B59 001.4′2–dc21 2001 00-068920
Typeset by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong Printed in Great Britain by Biddles Limited, Guildford and King’s Lynn
CONTENTS
List of exercises List of boxes Acknowledgements 1 Thinking about research Introduction What is research? Why research? What is original? Truth, power and values How to use this book What is different about this edition? Summary Further reading 2 Getting started Introduction Choosing a topic What to do if you can’t think of a topic Focusing Finding and choosing your supervisor Individual and group research
References: Burgess (1993: 1). Kane (1985: 13). Rudestam and Newton (1992: 5). Miles and Huberman (1994: 308).