The postgraduate research handbook : succeed with your MA, MPhil, EdD and PhD

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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

Author Notes

Gina Wisker is Head of the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Brighton

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

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Author Notes

Table of Contents