Reviews

What do other people think of The Research Companion?

SECOND EDITION

“In this updated edition of The Research Companion, Petra Boynton has, again, made thinking about research and how to do it wonderfully accessible while retaining the necessary nuance and rigour. This book will be invaluable to beginner researchers for undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees and to more experienced researchers. It shows us new and more useful ways of approaching courses in research methods. I will certainly be recommending it to my university library, my colleagues and to my students.” Professor Debbie Epstein, University of Roehampton, UK.

“Research is always a compromise between a scientific ideal and the opportunities and constraints provided by the real world. Too many ‘how to’ guides to research focus on the former and ignore the latter. This book, now in an improved second edition, addresses the practical reality of the research journey in Petra Boynton’s accessible style: how to plan a study, how to get it started, how to troubleshoot during it, how and why to write it up – and how to stay safe and sane throughout.” Trisha Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.

“This clear-sighted, engaging, and personable guide to designing and carrying out research projects large and small will provide direction and comfort for students and practitioners daunted by the dry, overly complex professional literature on the subject. Petra Boynton breaks it down and builds you up, encouraging you to chart a path to completion that works for you.” Sarah Shannon, Executive Director, Hesperian Health Guides

“Whether you are just starting out as a researcher or have considerable experience, this book will be an invaluable companion on your journey to rigorous, ethical and high impact research. This makes for an immensely practical, comprehensive and enjoyable read, which will be relevant in the UK and internationally.” Susie Jolly, co-author of Women, Sexuality, and the Political Power of Pleasure.

FIRST EDITION

Book Review: The Research Companion: A Practical Guide for the Social and Health Sciences.
By: Petra M. Boynton, Psychology Press. Hove. Published 2005
Reviewed by David Moore – Sheffield Hallam University, in PsyPag Review.

“You’re beginning a research project but how do you start? Many of us will have turned to a research methods book for advice with how to undertake our research and will probably have been disappointed by lots of not very useful information about the theoretical backgrounds to different techniques and the philosophical underpinnings of research ethics. This, however, is not the case with The Research Companion, which deals with the practical realities of research.

Petra Boynton has authored a book which manages to interweave a clear and straightforward account of research methods with humorous real examples from herself and her colleagues. Petra starts her book by discussing the inadequacy of methods teaching to real world research, as providing an ideological view which is nothing like the reality, particularly of carrying out research on non-students. The book continues by addressing a number of important planning issues which most other books ignore, such as developing your research idea, sources of and applying for funding, working with a steering group to obtain the best research, the real world of piloting every element of your research, from the method to your letters, as well as listening to your participants to modify you research appropriately.

This book devotes its largest chapter to how to interact with participants. This is an exceptionally useful account which deals with everything you will need to know about your relationship with your participant group from how to approach them, and making sure you get their name right to dealing with upset or aggressive participants and ending your relationship. This chapter really makes you think about what is important to your participants and how they feel and suggests ways of making the research process as smooth a possible. By the use of its exercises, checklists and tables this chapter covers everything you need to know about the time you spend collecting data, and the helpful examples of letters, consent forms, answer phone messages etc, these make you think of all the nuances involved in your contact with the public.

Because of the stage I’m at in my research I found the section on ‘Keep on keeping on’ very useful, by acknowledging that research is a very lonely business and suggesting motivational strategies this made for a reassuring read. I also found the section on reporting your findings to be very useful as I am approaching a stage where I am thinking of disseminating the data I am currently collecting. This chapter got me to think about the other ways to present my data and in particular about the ways I could present my findings to my participant group and those organisations that have helped me in recruitment.

This book covers research in an engaging style, which includes real examples of both successes and failures from Petra and her colleagues; these both inform and reassure the reader of the unpredictable nature of research, and offers useful suggestions on how to react when it all goes wrong.

The content and style of this book make it an essential read for all individuals wanting to undertake a career in social science research, from the recently graduated research assistant or postgraduate embarking on their PhD to the Professor managing a research unit.”

Book Review – Accident and Emergency Nursing (2006) 14, 127.
Boynton, Petra M. The Research Companion: A Practical Guide for the Social and Health Sciences. Psychology Press, ISBN 1-84169-304- 9, hbk £34.95, ISBN 1-84169-305-7 pbk £14.95

“This is a lovely book, and that is a phrase not often applied to research texts. It is easily readable, full of useful information and very relevant for budding researchers. It takes as its origin the common mis- takes, misconceptions and wrongful assumptions that many researchers have made in preparing and conducting their research. There are examples and illustrations of pitfalls taken from the author’s own research experience and that of her col- leagues, with the aim of stopping you making the same errors and thus making your research process more efficient. The introduction is engaging and there are exercises which are particularly useful in identifying where your research weaknesses might lie. The text then offers practical advice on all of the key stages of research, from planning and organisation, to seeking funding, through to submission and dissemination. References, contacts and web links are given for a wealth of further reading and information. This book is not a comprehensive text on re- search and statistical methods, but there are probably enough of them around already. What this book does offer is a very useable source of sensible information that any novice (and probably not- so-novice) researcher will find beneficial.” Bob McMaster MSc PGDipEd RGN (Nurse Consultant)

Review from the website MindHacks

“Currently a hidden gem, psychologist and research expert Petra Boynton runs a message board for discussing research, asking questions and swapping tips. As well as covering the usual topics of study design and data analysis, it also covers issues such as ethics, researcher safety and participant wellbeing. Its focus is on postgraduate research, but undergraduate students might also find it useful.”

Review from the website Ecological and environmental education
Title: The Research Companion
Author(s): Petra M Boynton
Date of Publication: 2005 Publisher:Taylor and Francis
Pages:viii + 199 ISBN:1 84169 305 7
Price: Format:Softcover

Presentation/Style 3/5
Content 3/5
Literature 4/5
Originality 4/5
Overall 4/5

“Whilst there is a great deal written about research methodology there’s far less written about the more practical side. Statistical analysis might be fine but you need the data in the first place. Standard ecological methods are well written about but increasingly we want to test public reaction or get human studies for a range of topics. This is where this text comes in. It aims to help the new researcher understand what is needed and how to go about doing research. Although the text’s subtitle is ‘a practical guide to the social and health sciences’ there’s much in it that can be of direct use to ecologists/environmentalists and indirect use to virtually all researchers.

The introduction lays out the premises under which the book is written and highlights the main topics. It also has a number of tables highlighting the book’s features and where to get more help on more theoretical topics. There’s also a personal checklist to get the researcher to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. From here, the book takes the reader through the main elements of dealing with research from plan to publication. Thus chapter two starts this off with research planning. It’s not just about the primary question – it’s about questioning every aspect from personal motivation to correct design. To help, there’s an extensive list of references given within the text so that any point can be expanded upon – a useful feature if you don’t know what to do to start with. Chapter three looks at the logistics of starting research. Here, the assumption is that it’s a team effort as most of the work suggests the need for space, planning and personnel skills. Rather than dive into the full-scale research, the careful researcher reads chapter four and follows the idea of test-driving the research through pilot projects. The chapter isn’t just a warning – in keeping with the author’s style, there are numerous links to other books, websites etc. Chapter five is a far larger one dealing with participants in the research. It’s really a guide to getting the best information out of people in the best way and leaving everyone happy at the end. Chapter six carries on the theme of care and safety but directs it at the researcher because they too can become caught in some research flaws. The final two chapters are what one might see as the core (but we can now see as just the end process). Chapter seven looks at the quality of data and how to clean, sort and keep it so it can be used. Chapter eight examines the publication stage and how good quality work can be carried out. A final, brief chapter refers to the companion website which seems to have a good range of resources and a useful message board.

Although this book lies slightly outside the ecology research sphere it does have a great deal of good information in it. It covers those aspects of working with people that many other texts ignore whilst still getting the core of the research task organised. The range of resources is impressive and the text has a lively feel to it. Those working in the applied science area would do well to read this text.”