Research Guides: Clinical Studies Resources: Thesis Research Strategies

Research Resources

To find books on how to write a thesis, explore the following searches:

Academic Writing (Thesis or Dissertation)
Action Research
Evidence-Based

Use the Research & Scholarship Guide to better understand:

The Research Process
What to include in a thesis style Introduction
How to write a Literature Review
How to decide on a Research Methodology
The IRB process

Using Handbooks & Encyclopedias to Find Background Information

Subject-related handbooks and encyclopedias are an excellent place to find background information on your topic and to get a feel for the research trends within the discipline.

Identifying Theories

Textbooks are a great place to identify theories and theorists for your discipline. Library handbooks and encyclopedias also can help you in this area.

Research Videos

The first videos below are available as streaming titles. Please feel free to rate them using the stars.

Exploring Qualitative Methods
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Summary: This program illustrates experiments, designed and conducted by students, that revolve around sleep and dreams. In the process, it provides thorough insight into the issues relevant to collecting and utilizing qualitative data. Viewers are shown how to create effective questionnaires, prepare participant interviews, assemble case studies, and conduct observational studies. The program also covers the use of content analysis and explores the correlational method, employed to make qualitative data more meaningful.
Introduction to Designing Experiments
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Summary: The program illustrates concepts that are central to the scientific method-including null, alternative, and two-tailed hypotheses; field and lab settings; sampling; primacy/recency effects; constant/random errors; and other testing principles. Graphic screens reinforce each concept and enable students to fully absorb the testing process.
Organizing Quantitative Data
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Summary: This video focuses on effective ways to understand and organize data using descriptive statistics. The video helps viewers sort through basic data-interpretation concepts: measures of central tendency, levels of measurement, measures of dispersion, and graphs. A wide range of organization principles are covered, including mode, median, and mean; discrete and continuous data; nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio data; standard deviation; and normal distribution.
The DVDs listed below are available for Faculty checkout or in library use only
Measuring Up: An Introduction to Research Methods
DV 2739
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Summary: Shows how to gather, organize, summarize and analyze data using classroom situations and graphical representations such as line graphs, bar graphs and histograms. Focuses on standardized testing and discusses surveys, samples, populations, qualitative and quantitative data, and variables.
Qualitative Methods
DV 3009
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Documentary on the methods used doing qualitative research. Specific topics discussed include questions surrounding qualitative research; specific techniques, including ethnography and textual analysis; and the application of qualitative research.
Quantitative Methods
DV 2741
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The video discusses how social scientists study how and why people do what they do by looking at cause, effect and mitigating factors that relate to cause and effect. Experts explain this and how governments, advertising agencies and social scientists both conduct and use these studies.
Reading Between the Lines: Understanding Culture in Qualitative Research
DV 2978
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Summary: Qualitative research provides us with a means to gain a deep description of the lives we study. But entering in a community can be difficult. We have to suspend our own cultural lens while examining the experiences of others.

NU Theses

The Library has a collection of National University theses as part of a special collection. These materials must be used in-library, but occasionally, authors will donate a second copy that is available for borrowing. The first search below retrieves both special collection and circulating theses: