Resource Library

The Research Methods Knowledge Base is a comprehensive web-based textbook that addresses all of the topics in a typical introductory undergraduate or graduate course in social research methods.  It covers the entire research process including: formulating research questions; sampling (probability and nonprobability); measurement (surveys, scaling, qualitative, unobtrusive); research design (experimental and quasi-experimental); data analysis; and, writing the research paper.  It also addresses the major theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of research including: the idea of validity in research; reliability of measures; and ethics.  The Knowledge Base was designed to be different from the many typical commercially-available research methods texts.  It uses an informal, conversational style to engage both the newcomer and the more experienced student of research.  It is a fully hyperlinked text that can be integrated easily into an existing course structure or used as a sourcebook for the experienced researcher who simply wants to browse.

 

Navigate this source:  http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/contents.php  

Statistics educators are keenly aware of the value of using real data to help students see the relevance and applicability of statistics. The federal statistical agencies have invested in significant efforts to make data accessible and available. In this webinar, Ron Wasserstein will point you to these resources, discussing their uses and limitations.

Sampling Samba is a video that may be used to discuss and compare various methods of sampling. The methods described include random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling, and cluster sampling. The video was written by Camilla Guatteri (SeeYouGee on You-Tube) and edited by Alessandro Pederzoli.

These are MIT's epidemiology database pages. Mortality data for the United States from 1890-1997, Japan from 1951-1994, and Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, Texas and Florida dating back to the late 1950's are provided.

A collection of links to video workshops for students in mathematics. Includes many topics from statistics to math and science to algebra.

A series of pamphlets place online by the American Statistical Association, Survey Research Methods Section. Each pamphlet deals with a different aspect of survey research and how it is done.

This applet simulates finding confidence intervals for the mean of a normal random variable. A sample of size 20 is generated from a standard normal random variable. The blue marks represent the sample data. The sample mean X and sample standard deviation s are found and used to calculate the confidence interval. The black intervals are the confidence intervals which include the true mean 0, and the red intervals are those which exclude 0. This applet needs to be resized for optimal viewing.

This site takes the user through the steps and decisions necessary when designing a survey. Pros and cons for each method are outlined and other issues in survey design are presented.