Research BasicsLearning research basics can help you think and communicate like a scientist. Once you get the basic attitude and jargon, you have a much better handle on how to read, write, and conduct research. These tools are key to making smart decisions.Think Like Mr. SpockBe skeptical. Anything you find out is questionable. There's room for doubt in everything--even your own best study.Be objective. Most of us have difficulty controlling our own bias, but thinking like a scientist means you must be impartial and open to any outcomes. Just the facts. Scientists do not tell anyone what is good for them or what decisions they should make. They report the facts. The big picture. Isolated facts are not so helpful. Scientists try to integrate the results of each study into some meaningful order and test theories. The truth. Nothing is true unless you can observe it directly.
The scientific attitude is important for understanding research, but studying people (the social sciences) adds special challenges that you do not have in the natural sciences. See
Scientific Method Research
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Highly recommended for understanding basic research concepts. Outstanding, straightforward introduction to research in the social sciences.
My top recommendation for understanding and applying research and statistics at the graduate level. Excellent author and instructor.
Very well-developed text. Great sections on developing survey questions, scales, and questionnaires.