Reference Books
Encyclopedia of Research Design by ISBN: 9781452265827Publication Date: 2010-06-01Elucidates how one makes decisions about research design, interprets data and draws valid inferences, undertakes research projects in an ethical manner, and evaluates experimental design strategies and results. - Sage Publications
Preliminary Research
Unless you are very familiar with your subject matter, you will want to spend a significant amount of time identifying the specific topic that interests you. In fact, you may want to examine several potential topics from which to make a final choice. The library has access to many subject-specialized reference sources that would assist in this initial step, such as reference sources about administrative leadership, school climate and planning, poverty and equity, facility planning, standards, and more.
Preliminary research will help you determine the viability of your research topic as well as assist you in narrowing the scope of your topic. Your professors and/or dissertation advisor can advise with the development of your topic. Below, you will find a list of resources that may be useful in this first stage of research:
- WSU Library CatalogContains all WSU titles for books, ebooks, videos, government documents, and print journal titles (no individual articles).
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowFull text resource for a diverse range of subjects. Types of sources include general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education This link opens in a new windowA dynamic, peer-reviewed digital encyclopedia continuously updated by the world’s leading scholars and researchers (Oxford University Press)
- Reference Universe This link opens in a new windowSearch the indices of Krueger Library's Reference Collection (print and electronic books).
- SAGE Research Methods: Foundations This link opens in a new windowProvides introductory overviews to major research methodologies, research ethics, and biographical sketches of researchers.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new windowAccess to standard and academic reference sources on a wide range of topics, including business, law, literature, medicine, technology, and more.
- Digital Commons Network
This link opens in a new window
The Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work. - bepress Digital Commons Network
Reference Books: Education Doctorate
- Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education This link opens in a new windowA dynamic, peer-reviewed digital encyclopedia continuously updated by the world’s leading scholars and researchers (Oxford University Press)
Encyclopedia of Research Design by Call Number: Reference Collection - 1st Floor HA29 .E525 2010 & Credo Reference - OnlineISBN: 9781412961271Publication Date: 2010-06-22Research design, with its statistical underpinnings, can be especially daunting for students and novice researchers. At its heart, research design might be described simply as a formalized approach toward problem solving, thinking, and acquiring knowledge, the success of which depends upon clearly defined objectives and appropriate choice of statistical design and analysis to meet those objectives. Our three-volume Encyclopedia of Research Design elucidates how one makes decisions about research design, interprets data and draws valid inferences, undertakes research projects in an ethical manner, and evaluates experimental design strategies and results. From A-to-Z, this work covers the spectrum of research design strategies and topics including, among other things: fundamental research design principles, ethics in the research process, quantitative versus qualitative and mixed-method designs, completely randomized designs, multiple comparison tests, diagnosing agreement between data and models, fundamental assumptions in analysis of variance, factorial treatment designs, complete and incomplete block designs, Latin square and related designs, hierarchical designs, response surface designs, split-plot designs, repeated measures designs, crossover designs, analysis of covariance, statistical software packages, and much more.
Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory by Call Number: Credo Reference - OnlineISBN: 9789812875327Publication Date: 2017"This encyclopaedia is a dynamic reference and study place for students, teachers, researchers and professionals in the field of education, philosophy and social sciences, offering both short and long entries on topics of theoretical and practical interest in educational theory and philosophy by authoritative world scholars representing the full ambit of education as a rapidly expanding global field of knowledge and expertise. This is an encyclopaedia that is truly global and while focused mainly on the Western tradition is also respectful and representative of other knowledge traditions. It professes to understand the globalization of knowledge. It is unique in the sense that it is based on theoretical orientations and approaches to the main concepts and theories in education, drawing on the range of disciplines in the social sciences. The encyclopaedia privileges the "theory of practice", recognizing that education as a discipline and activity is mainly a set of professional practices that inherently involves questions of power and expertise for the transmission, socialization and critical debate of competing norms and values." - Springer
The SAGE Handbook of Special Education by Call Number: Credo Reference - OnlineISBN: 9781446210536Publication Date: 2013-12-27The second edition of The SAGE Handbook of Special Education provides a comprehensive overview of special education, offering a wide range of views on key issues from all over the world. The contributors bring together up-to-date theory, research and innovations in practice, with an emphasis on future directions for the role of special education in a global context of inclusion. This brand new edition features: " New chapters on families, interagency collaboration and issues of lifelong learning " The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities " Policy reform proposals " Equity and social justice in education " The impact of new thinking on assessment " Issues and developments in classification " The preparation and qualifications that teachers need The Handbook′s breadth, clarity and academic rigour will make it essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students, and also for practitioners, teachers, school managers and administrators.
WATCH: Research Questions
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WATCH: Literature Reviews: What are they?
What is a Literature Review? - a helpful video created by the North Carolina State University Library.
VIEW: Select a Database (step-by-step)
General Encyclopedia vs. Subject Encyclopedia
A general encyclopedia will contain information about a wide range of topics.
The articles are:
- written by an editor or staff writer (not necessarily experts)
- not typically signed, meaning no author is listed
- short in length
- provide an overview on a topic, but may not include specific or detailed information
- Examples:
- Encyclopedia Britannica (a Krueger Library Database)
- Encyclopedia Americana (Printed set in the Reference Collection, REF AE5 .E333)
A subject encyclopedia will be more focused and detailed information on a specific subject.
The articles are:
- written typically by an author with professional knowledge or educational background on the topic
- signed by the author
- longer in length; word length varies
- more detailed and specific about a topic than a general encyclopedia
- sources are often cited
- Examples:
- History of the Mass Media in the United States: An Encyclopedia (Printed set in the Reference Collection, REF P92.U5 H55 1998 )
- The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: the United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq conflicts (Printed set in the Reference Collection, REF S63.1 .E453 2010 )
