Electronic Resources for Research Methods

General information sources

Electronic journals

• Action Research International

  "We seek high quality papers about the integrated theory and practice of action research. For these purposes we might define action research as follows: Action research consists of a family of methodologies which pursue outcomes of both action (change) and research (understanding). It uses a process which alternates between action and systematic reflection, or achieves theory-practice integration by some other means. It is usually, though not universally, collaborative and qualitative. Its many forms include such varieties as participative action research, emancipatory action research, action science, and soft systems methodology, among others. We take the view that good research is research which is designed to achieve the desired outcomes in the research situation. This isn't always action research. However, ARI is intended as an action research journal."

• American Psychologist

  Partially free content: occasionally has papers relevant to methods issues.

• Cybermetrics: International Journal of Scientometrics, Informetrics and Bibliometrics

  "Cybermetrics is both an Electronic-only Journal and a Virtual Forum (The Journal) devoted to the study of the quantitative analysis of scholarly and scientific communications. It is open to world-wide researchers to publish and discuss their findings. Internet offers them new and increased capabilities to distribute their results to a greater audience."

• ER Online

  Web version of Educational Researcher. "Educational Researcher (ER, begun in 1971; 432 pp./yr.) is published nine times per year and is received by all members of AERA. It contains scholarly articles that come from a wide range of disciplines and are of general significance to the educational research community."

• Forum: Qualitative Research

  FQS is a newly established multilingual online journal for qualitative research. The main aim of FQS is to promote discussion and cooperation between qualitative researchers from different countries and social science disciplines. The unique attributes of the internet - speed, flexibility, interactivity - are employed to develop, in comparison to traditional print media, new discourse forms and standards for quality. It is an experimental project which means being an open project where FQS´ content and formal design are developed in cooperation with all of its participants - readers, authors, editorial board members and editors alike."

• Information Research

  "Information Research is a free, international, scholarly journal, dedicated to making freely accessible the results of research across a wide range of information-related disciplines. A glance at the subject index will show the scope. We publish both refereed papers and working papers in the fields of information science, information management, information systems, information policy and librarianship."

• Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

  "Articles submitted to JCMC should make a contribution to knowledge in the field of computer mediated communication. No one discipline, and no single methodology is viewed as inherently superior. Research based in any of the social sciences is welcome."
  "Acceptable articles will most frequently join theoretical analysis with empirical investigation, and/or incorporate demonstration or simulation. Reviews, synthesis, and meta- analyses of prior research are also welcome. In all cases, the implications for future work should be discussed. Rigorous argumentation and presentation are expected. The use of abstracts, introduction and conclusion sections is encouraged. However, authors are encouraged to venture into using the wider bandwidth and removal of linearity constraints made available by JCMC's format. Innovative forms of expressing research, and/or linking members of the scientific community, are welcome."

• The Journal of Virtual Environments

  Formerly the Journal of MUD Research. "The Journal of Virtual Environments is a refereed electronic journal which publishes academic research that relates to Virtual Environments or makes use of Virtual Environments. Of particular interest are psychological, anthropological, sociological approaches, as are the practical and technical aspects of creating, maintaining and administrating VEs. Both empirical and theoretical work is welcome. The Journal also publishes "Comments" (shorter pieces which propose new directions for research on Virtual Environments) and book reviews."

• Polling Report

  "An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion." Some content freely available, other on subscription.

• Qualitative Report

  "The Qualitative Report ... is a peer reviewed, online journal dedicated to writing and discussion of and about qualitative and critical inquiry. The Qualitative Report serves as a forum and sounding board for researchers, scholars, practitioners, and other reflective-minded individuals who are passionate about ideas, methods, and analyses permeating qualitative and critical study. These pages are open to a variety of forms: original, scholarly activity such as qualitative research studies, critical commentaries, editorials, or debates concerning pertinent issues and topics; news of networking and research possibilities; and other sorts of journalistic and literary shapes which may interest and pique readers."

• Social Research Update

  "Methods of doing social research are continually advancing. New developments in information technology enable complex analyses to be carried out on a personal computer. Laptop computers and computer assisted telephone interviewing change fundamentally the way in which surveys are done. New statistical techniques are being developed which are better suited to the kinds of data which social researchers generally deal with. New approaches to qualitative data raise new theoretical and ethical problems."
  "In face of all this change, social researchers, pressurised to produce results, often do not have time to keep up with the latest developments. It is to fill this gap that we are producing Social Research Update."
  "Social Research Update will be published every three months or so and distributed to social researchers in the UK. Initially, it will be available without charge. Once it is established, we hope that we will be able to obtain support from other sources to cover its running expenses."

• Sociological Research Online

  "Sociological Research Online publishes high quality applied sociology, focusing on theoretical, empirical and methodological discussions which engage with current political, cultural and intellectual topics and debates. Issues are published quarterly, on the last days of May, August, November and February."

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