This is the perfect book for any student new to Research Methods. It is brilliantly written, witty, and always easy to understand.

Taking as her starting point the need for students to conduct research for themselves in the `real world', Zina O'Leary guides those new to research through the whys and how-tos of the entire research process. Always student-focused, this book offers a hands on and practical guide to the research process from the initial process of coming up with a good question, via methods of gathering information, through to the writing process itself.

Researching Real-World Problems:

- Makes the entire research process a meaningful experience

- Provides a jargon-busting hands-on guide to the entire research process

- Is illustrated throughout with real-life examples

- Speaks directly to the needs of the new researcher

- Locates the researcher and research process at heart of a complex web of social structures

- Provides via the Companion Website link above, PowerPoint slides that cover all 12 chapters of the book. They can be printed out as separate transparencies or used in PowerPoint based lectures. They would also be suitable for applications in e-learning/ web-based teaching.

O'Leary draws her examples from the full range of the Social Sciences, and this is the perfect text for any student in Health, Education or Applied Social Science.

PART ONE: ORIENTATION TO RESEARCHING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS
Researching Real-World Problems
PART TWO: LAYING FOUNDATIONS
From Real Problems to Researchable Questions
Preparing to Research Real-World Problems
Striving for Integrity in the Research Process
The Quest for `Respondents¿
Selecting Appropriate Data Collection Methods
PART THREE: RESEARCHING PROBLEMS
Understanding Problems
The Quest for Solutions
Research that Moves from Knowledge to Action
Evaluating Change
PART FOUR: MAKING MEANING/MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Producing Research `Deliverables¿

Zina O'Leary is an internationally recognized leader in research methodologies and has a keen interest in the application of research to evidence-based decision-making. Zina is an Adjunct Professor at the Joseph R. Biden Jr, School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware as well as a Senior ­Fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government where she coordinates research and project units for their Executive Masters and Executive Education Programmes. Zina also has an extensive history as a consultant to both government and the private sector and was the research coordinator for the Centre for Environmental Health Development at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. She is the author of Researching Real World Problems, The Social Science Jargon Buster, Workplace Research and three books in Sage's Little Quick Fix Series: Research Questions; Research Proposals; and Presenting Your Research.