Te Kete Wānaka
Learning, Teaching and Library
Research skills, design and analysis
Find all the links and information you will need for your research design and analysis.
Research skills
It's important to use reputable and reliable information to support your research. To help you find academic information we have advice on developing a search strategy, assessing and understanding the information you find and tips for finding some of the more difficult to track down information you may require.
We also have an introduction to research design, information about how to use data analysis software and how to manage data. This helpful advice will assist you as you sharpen your research skills. There is also an introduction to animal and human research ethics and guidelines on the ethics approval procedures at Lincoln University.
Research design and analysis is the most critical part of research.
Whether you are doing qualitative, quantitative or mixed method research, selecting the appropriate research methodology is an essential step in your research project.
Seeking help early in your research journey will be of great benefit.
This interactive research resource for bioscience students, prepared by University of Reading is an excellent, easy-to-use interactive resource providing a step-by-step guide to the research process from planning through to presenting results. It includes a detailed section on experimental design and analysis.
Science research
If you are using a Lincoln University computer, go to the programs menu on your computer and find:
- LU Applications>Math and Stats Applications to access Genstat, Minitab, SPSS, R and more.
Here are some workshops and online tutorials. Further information on specific workshops is available on Akoraka | Learn via Resources for postgraduate statistics workshops.
GenStat
The version currently available at Lincoln University is GenStat 17. From within the GenStat software you can access a number of useful guides, tutorials and examples.
Go to Help>GenStat Guides; Help>Tutorials or Help>Examples
Introduction to GenStat workshop (PDF), Plant site results (xlsx) and Cement (xlsx)
ANOVA workshop (PDF)
Minitab
Minitab 17 is currently available at Lincoln University. From within Minitab, you can access a number of useful resources.
Go to Help>StatGuide or Help>Tutorials
RStudio
The internet has a range of resources to support using R and RStudio, eg The Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and IcebreakeR – notes prepared by Andrew Robinson, University of Melbourne (2013).
LibrarySearch
Consider trying some of the following searches (you can refine your search to books, journal articles, conference proceedings, peer-review etc):
- “experimental design”; “experimental design” and ecology; “experimental design” and “life sciences“
- “Using R” – The library has a number of books supporting R.
Databases
Your choice of database will depend on the subject area of your research. There are specialised databases or databases with specific features eg:
- Web of Science
- ScienceDirect – includes a section on Methods and Materials
Social science research
NVivo
A software that supports qualitative and mixed methods research. NVivo gives you a place to organise and manage your material so that you can start to find insights in your data. It also provides tools that allow you to ask questions about your data in a more efficient way.
Watch this introductory video (7mins:10s) to see if NVivo is the right tool for you.
NVivo is available for postgraduate students and staff at Lincoln University. The software can be installed on personal devices, as well as LU devices. Some labs (L131; D4) on campus also have NVivo installed.
If NVivo is right for you, try watching this introductory video, NVivo Basics #1: Starting a project and importing files (6mins:30s), or reviewing these Getting Started resources from the University of Hull.
Once you are familiar with the basics, you may want to move on to more specific aspects of NVivo.
- The NVivo website has lots of useful in-depth resources
- Both Deborah Rowe and the University of Hull have a series of 5 to 10 minute videos for both Windows and MAC users.
To arrange for NVivo installation, log a job through the IT Service Portal.
Qualtrics
A web-based online survey tool that is available to staff and postgraduate students at Lincoln University for research purposes.
Refer to the IT Help website for information on accessing Qualtrics.
SPSS
If you are using a Lincoln University computer, go to the programs menu on your computer and find:
- LU Applications>Math and Stats Application>SPSS
SPSS
Become familiar with the Help menu in the SPSS software, it is a great place to start. Also access these SPSS lessons.
Mixed methods
There is a lot of good information on Youtube about conducting mixed methods research – ensure that you evaluate the material.
The Mixed Methods International Research Association was created to promote the development of an international and interdisciplinary mixed methods research community.
LibrarySearch
You may wish to search broadly e.g “research methods”, alternatively you can add a subject, e.g. “research methodology” tourism, to retrieve resources within a topic; or search specifically, e.g. SPSS.
General resources include handbooks. dictionaries and encyclopedias. Useful starting points include:
- A-Z of social research – online dictionary
- The SAGE handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioural research
- The Sage dictionary of social research methods
Databases
Your choice of database will depend on the subject area of your research. There are specialised databases or databases with specific features eg:
- Social Science Citation Index – part of the Web of Science database
- JSTOR – in the advanced search option you can elect to search Social Science titles only
- SciVerse HUB via ScienceDirect – includes a section on Methods and Materials, example searches could be “focus groups”, ”multi-level modelling”, “conversation analysis”