Archive

Star rating: 4/5 stars.

By Douglas Robertson and Alan Dearling.
Russell House Publishing
ISBN 18988924937, £19.95

The authors avoid many of the pitfalls of "how to" books which often skim the surface of subjects, leaving the reader with disconnected threads that cannot be woven together, writes Mary Baginsky.

It is a guide that will be of equal assistance to the novice researcher, the commissioner and the practitioner. The authors deal with issues in a comprehensive and intelligent way, from the idea through to analysis and final report.

They provide insights into technical areas which sometimes remain obscure in research proposals, creating an unnecessary divide between a researcher and audience. In turn the style is clear and jargon free.

Many years ago I came to quantitative research with some trepidation, having bowed to the obvious superiority of people who could use such terms as "bimodal analysis".

This book will not make you an expert in these techniques but it will give you an understanding of what they are for and save you years learning that much is common sense, even if you will need another book to teach you how to apply this understanding.

Mary Baginsky is a senior research officer.