Research Methodology: An Introduction

This book is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of research in the social sciences and related disciplines. This book is based on our lecture materials developed during teaching the class on Research Methodology. The target audience for this book includes students, junior researchers, and instructors teaching courses on research methodology. The content of this book is designed to introduce basic concepts in research especially in social sciences. It contains a basic definition of research, research methodology and research methods. Concise details about primary and secondary sources of research are also part of this book. Details about classification of research, qualitative & quantitative research, objectivity & subjectivity in research, definition and types of hypothesis, variables in research, literature review and methods of data collection are also included in the book. In the last chapter, a brief about the research proposal is included and it would be helpful for beginner researchers.
The book is succinct and compact by design. While writing the book, we decided to focus only on essential concepts, and not fill pages with clutter that can divert the students’ attention to less relevant or tangential issues. The book is structured into 10 chapters. However, instructors can add, drop, stretch, or condense topics to customize the book to the specific needs of their curriculum.
Lastly, we plan to continually update this book based on emerging trends in social research. If there is any new or interesting content that you wish to see in future editions, please drop us a note, and we shall try our best to accommodate them. Comments, criticisms, or corrections to any of the existing content will also be gratefully appreciated.