How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students

by Gary Thomas

Overview

Clear, coherent and readable, this bestselling guide is now in its fifth edition, providing easy to follow advice for anyone undertaking a research project. Covering each stage of the process, from choosing a research question to collecting and analysing data, and finally writing up findings, this book equips students with the essential tools for success.

This new edition features:

• Case studies weaved throughout giving real-life examples of the issues and/or methods being discussed.
• Practical activities, seminar tasks and checklists.
• Updated content with the latest research methods and ethical considerations.
• Details on new AI research tools and how they can be used.

Designed for students in the applied social sciences, this book aligns with assessment criteria and provides the essential support you need to complete a research project successfully.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781036215347
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/19/2026
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.68(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gary Thomas is an emeritus professor of education at the University of Birmingham. His teaching and research have focused on inclusion, special education, and research methodology in education, with a particular focus on case study. He has conducted research funded by the AHRC, the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the Department for Education, Barnardos, local authorities, and a range of other organisations. He has coedited the British Educational Research Journal and is currently an executive editor of Educational Review. He is author of many books, most recently Education: A Very Short Introduction published by Oxford University Press.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xiv

1 Your introduction: starting points 1

Question: Where do I begin? Answer: Begin at the beginning, with an introduction 2

Thinking of a research idea 3

Purposes of research 3

Kinds of question 5

Kinds of question - and some nutshell-sized studies and their implications 7

Coming up with a question 12

Can I have more than one question? 13

Is it feasible? Problems with research questions 13

Prima facie questions 14

Kinds of evidence and kinds of answer 16

A title 20

What research is - and what it isn't 21

Overview 21

Further reading 22

2 Project management 23

Drawing a timeline 25

Just look at those fingernails! Time management 26

Overview 29

Further reading 29

3 The literature review 30

Primary and secondary sources 31

Quality of sources 35

Your literature review should tell a story - it should not be a list 36

Thinking around your question: drawing a storyboard 37

Critical awareness: be your own Jeremy Paxman 41

Click 'Search': finding information 44

Hints on searching - separating the wheat from the chaff 52

Understanding how sources are cited: the Harvard referencing system 54

Taking notes and quotes 56

Overview 59

Further reading 59

4 Decide on your question - again 60

Seeing the wood for the trees 60

From storyboard to storyline 61

Theory 65

Overview 68

5 Deciding on an approach: methodology and research design 69

Research design 70

Research approach 71

Frameworks for thinking about the social world - paradigms 72

Paradigms and research approach 77

Thinking critically - how the 'ologies' help 83

From purposes to questions toapproaches to data gathering 90

Overview 95

Further reading 97

6 The design frame 99

Some general issues in design 101

Sampling 102

Variables 105

Reliability 105

Validity 106

Generalisation and generalisability 108

Positionality 109

Triangulation 111

The design frames 112

Action research 112

Case study 115

Ethnography 118

Evaluation 122

Experiment 124

Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies - and surveys 129

Comparative study 136

Can I mix design frames and methods? 140

Postmodernism 141

Overview 143

Further reading 144

7 Practical matters 146

Ethics 146

Access 154

Overview 154

Further reading 156

8 The right tools for the job: data gathering 157

Tools and methods 157

Be creative 159

Data-gathering tools - mainly for use with words 160

Interviews 160

Accounts 166

Diaries 166

Group interviews and focus groups 169

Document interrogation 170

Data-gathering tools - for use with words and/or numbers 173

Questionnaires 173

Observation 183

Data-gathering tools - mainly for use with numbers 189

Measurements and tests 190

Official statistics 191

Overview 195

Further reading 195

9 How to analyse the information you gather 197

Analysing words 197

Constant comparative method 198

Network analysis 198

Construct mapping and Theme mapping 200

Grounded theory 202

Thick description 202

Discourse and content analysis 205

Computers and verbal data analysis 207

Sociograms 208

Analysing numbers 210

Eyeballing 212

Using Excel to do your data analysis 212

Statistics that describe 213

Statistics that help you understand a relationship between two variables 218

Statistics that help you to deduce (or infer) 220

Discussing your analysis 225

Drawing out 'theory' 228

Overview 233

Further reading 233

10 Concluding 235

Writing a conclusion 236

Writing an abstract 237

General points about writing and presentation 238

Coda 242

Further reading 242

Appendix 244

References 245

Index 249

Editorial Reviews

One of the most impressive things that real experts do is to communicate complex ideas in a clear way for their readers. Gary Thomas’ book has been doing this for university students over many years. It is deservedly a classic textbook, which is now in its 4th edition - a further mark of success!

Dominic Wyse

Gary’s book, never more than a metre away, has been my indispensable research companion. With its easy layout, my well-worn copy, stripy with florescent marker and pencilled notes, has been my go-to, on-hand supervisor throughout my degree and has taken the distance out of distance learning. It replaces daunting and impossible with clarity and entertainment. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it; it has been my gateway to achievement.

Ellie Davies Moore

I use this book for undergraduate and postgraduate students projects, but even seasoned researchers can find some useful tips in this book. Gary Thomas demystifies research and makes its various components easy to understand. From identifying the research topic, through practical advice on writing the literature review, choosing the right design, analysing data and writing up the research report – the book makes research easy. The students like the textbook because the concepts are presented in accessible way and with some dose of humour.

Anna Oksiutycz

This excellent resource builds on the many strengths of previous editions and is accessible, comprehensive and extremely practical. Offering fresh information and useful advice and guidance, it demystifies the world of research. Highly recommended for new and experienced researchers alike!

John Lalor

This book is in my view the best around on doing educational and social science research. It is refreshingly different from other research methods books; it is very readable, engaging and accessible for those without a social science background—rigorous and scholarly and full of helpful advice and guidance, and the updated interactive website is a real bonus. A joy to engage with, and I recommend it highly.

Peter Earley

It is a great delight that Gary Thomas has now updated this book for its third edition. Of the many books that seek to support students in undertaking their projects, this is the most accessible and clearest, whilst maintaining the highest standards of scholarly rigour - and it is also the funniest! Thomas really does show how undertaking research in education and social sciences can be a real pleasure.

Ian Menter

As learning by doing is very important especially in writing, students need a manual, written without heavy jargon and with lots of examples. Thomas gets you straight to the point by including a smart design, very clear and informative examples, anecdotes and a small dose of humour in his book How to Do Your Research Project. This book will be of great use to students and tutors. As such, it deserves a high place in academic reading lists.

Psychology Learning and Teaching - Engin Deniz Eris

I think this edition is clear concise and helpful. It was a must have for me when writing my dissertation and I still refer often to it now. The student finds detailed information with useful examples and direction inside. A great guide to creating sound research projects.

Maria Burns

How to Do Your Research Project has been my research ‘bible’! I used it a lot in initial stages, and now in my writing up, I am coming back to it, especially for some sane advice around analysing quantitative data. The writing style is very clear, and having exhausted many of the research texts around advanced research methods, I keep coming back to this book as it makes the most sense.

Sarah Edwards