Research for Development A Practical Guide

How to use this book
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH
Introduction: Why Research for Development Matters
So What Is Research?
¿But I¿m not a Researcher¿: The Contribution of the Development Worker
Who Should Do Research for Development Work? The Broader Issues
Research and Social Change
How to Tell When Research is the Best Approach to a Problem
Using Research in Development Work
So What is the Right Approach to Research for Development Work?
Two Major Research Approaches
Types of Research in Development Work
Programme-Focused and Issue-Focused Research
Using Research for Programme Development
Using Research to Influence Policy
Planning for Effective Research
Quality in Research
Choosing a Research Focus
Defining the Research Questions
Writing a Research Brief
Managing Research
Attracting and Engaging with Funders
Deciding Who Should Do The Research
Selecting and Appointing External Researchers
Managing Costs and Time
Supervising Researchers
Reviewing Existing Evidence
How to Look
Where to Look
How to Use the Internet for Research
Learning Development Research Skills
Where to Start?
Some Ways of Learning Research Skills
Supporting Southern Researchers
PART TWO: COLLECTING DATA
Choosing Methods
Choosing a Research Approach
Choosing Research Techniques
Triangulation: Using More Than One Technique
Collecting and Managing Quality Data
Introduction
Three Characterisics of Good-quality Data
Ways to Improve Quality in Data Collection
Improving Communication with Respondents
Collecting, Recording and Managing Data
Ensuring ¿Trustworthiness¿
Thinking about Ethics in Research
Codes of Ethics
Responsibilities Towards Respondents: Some Ethical Issues to Consider
Wider Accountability
Responsibilities to Colleagues
Choosing a Sample
What Does Sampling Mean?
Quantitative or Qualitative Sampling?
Probability or Random Sampling
Purposive or Non-Random Sampling
How to Sample For Cases, Location, Time and Events
Including ¿Hard-To-Reach¿ People
Incentives: What Are The Issues?
Collecting Data
How to Ask Questions
Interviews
Focus Groups
Questionnaires
Use of Documentary Sources and Secondary Data Analysis
Observation
Participatory Research
Participation for...?
Participation by...?
Participation in...?
Some Participatory Research Methods
Practical Challenges in Participatory Research
Critical Perspectives on Participatory Research
PART THREE: ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH COMMUNICATION
Undertaking Research Analysis
Getting Organized
What is Analysis?
Interpretation
The Process of Data Analysis
Participation in the Analysis Process
Methods of Analysis
Qualitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis
So What Does It All Mean?
Writing Effectively
What to Write
What Not to Write
What Must Be Included
How to Write: The Process
Writing Press Releases, Policy Briefs or Journal Articles
Promoting Research Uptake
Building a Successful Communications Strategy
Promotion for Implementation: Influencing Programmes
Promotion for Policy Influence
Some Tools for Communication
Dealing with the Media
Capacity Building
Assessing Research for Development Work
What, Who and When?
Assessing Research Output
Assessing Research Uptake
Assessing Research Impact
Appendix 1: On Monitoring and Evaluation
Appendix 2: Useful Websites
Glossary
References