Getting the Most Out of the Research Experience : What Every Researcher Needs to Know

"Roberts offers an easy-to-read introduction to managing both the research process and the emotional challenges often associated with it." ―CHOICE

Entering research can be an apprehensive time – even for established researchers. Research is an emotional process that involves the researcher as a person, not just as someone who applied methods. Rather than an obstacle course of difficulties, it should also be enjoyable and exhilarating. Research can and should be fun.

While each research situation is different and no book can fully prepare the researcher for what they experience – this book provides a guide to what may be expected. Brian Roberts takes the researcher through the research process, answering the practical and subjective questions anyone will face:

• Entering the field and finding the right research topic
• Emotional and identity issues of research
• Overcoming writing and research ′blocks′
• Getting your research into reports, articles and books
• Reactions to research and how to handle experiences of rejection
• The questions every researcher should ask: What do I get from research, and what next?

Loaded with advice on everything from organizing interpretations to coping with stress, this book is a must-read for students of all levels across the social sciences who are about to enter the research field.

Brian Roberts is Principal Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Huddersfield.