These resources were compiled from many different sources on the web. This guide is divided into three sections: writing, research, and quantitative and qualitative methods. In selecting these sources, sites were evaluated using the UVM guide to "The Web as a Research Tool: Evaluation Techniques". Each site is annotated.
The writing section lists sites mainly maintained by Universities. Universities, including the University of Vermont, have writing centers. Many of the schools have a strong online component that cover such topics as writing rough drafts, thesis development, help with grammar, usage, and mechanics, and specific help in writing dissertations.
The research section covers a variety of ERIC sites as well as access to online journals and libraries. Again, the University of Vermont "Sage" gateway is available to all UVM students. This site is best accessed from campus. There is limited access off campus unless your connection is through Together.net.
And lastly, the section with resources specific to quantitative and qualitative methods. I have tried to include online journals, web pages maintained by associations, and sites that discuss theory and methodology.
All sites and links were tested 9/4/2000. If any of the links are not working, let me know.
APA
http://www.apa.org/journals/faq.html
This site contains supplementary information to the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The format is FAQ
- frequently asked questions. There is a link to a five page site specific to
citing electronic reference such as email communications, or articles and
abstracts from electronic databases.
http://www.arc.sbc.edu/wrting.html
This is an easy to use site with an emphasis on grammar, usage, and mechanics.
It includes a writers checklist, common writing errors, and grammatical and
punctuation problems and how to fix them.
Writing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AcacemicWriting.html
This site includes an number of sub-categories under academic writing.
Sub-categories are Research Papers, Dissertation Writing, and Writing Reviews.
These sections include guidance on how to write a review of literature, writing
annotated bibliographies, and a list of helpful books for dissertators.
University of North Carolina Writing Center
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb
This site has a number of resources with lots of help and links for
dissertation writing.
The Web as a Resource Tool: Evaluation Techniques
http://bailey.uvm.edu/ref/webeval.html
This is a valuable site to check out - you can easily be
fooled by information on the web and trying to sort out quality information. The
UVM libraries has compiled a guide to help distinguish the differences between
research and entertainment.
This site gives an overview of the known pulicly available
web, gopher, and telnet sites for searching ERIC databases. It lists a number or
resources including how to order ERIC documents
http://www.accesseric.org/searchdb/dbchart.html
This web site offers a nice database chart comparing 4 different sites. The
chart is set up so each site can be compared by available information,
searchable fields, search engine, and search operators. You can choose the site
that best meets your needs.
ERIC Search Wizard 2.1
http://www.ericae.net/scripts/ewiz/aform4.htm
This is a wonderful source for searching ERIC. This site
uses a thesaurus which works by entering a word for the "wizard" to
look up. The database will return a list of words that ERIC uses to search
documents. You can then use these words in your search. You can also use this
search to limit results to literature reviews or only journals. I find the
thesaurus very useful.
ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library
This site contains links to full-text books, reports,
journal articles, newsletter articles and papers on the Internet that address
educational measurement, evaluation and learning theory. The index includes
specific reference to research design and methods including surveys/interviews,
qualitative research, action research, and evaluation of research. There is also
a category for statistical analysis which includes online journals and theory
and methods.
Harvard Graduate School of Education: Monroe C. Gutman Library
http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~library/links.htm#ejournals
This is a 13 page gateway to a number of research
resources on the web including electronic journals, www education links and
resources, and electronic journal directories. The listings are extensive with
full text available at many of the sites
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Resources
Research Methods Knowledge Base
by William M. Trochim, Cornell University
http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb
This site is a web-based textbook that covers all of the topics of a typical
undergraduate or graduate course in social research methods. The style of
writing is informal and conversational making the text very accessible. It
includes hyperlinked text making it possible to jump to different sections of
the text. For example, if the word post-positivism is in the text, it will be
linked to a more in depth discussion or a definition of post-positivism. Topics
include: formulating research questions, sampling, measurement, research design,
data analysis, and writing the research paper It also addresses the major
theoretical and philosophical basis of research. The writing style and
hyperlinks make this a very useful reference.
Resource for Qualitative Research
http://www.ualberta.ca/~jrnorris/qual.html
This site compiles a number of useful sites. Although the site is current,
there are occasional dead links. For the most part, the links area active and
useful. The site lists 17 different categories including electronic journals,
methods, papers, and conference proceedings. Click on any of these links and you
are brought to another page with an abundance of resources. The Electronic
Journal link lists eight journals available on-line including titles such as
Action Research Electronic Insights, The Qualitative Report, and the Electronic
Journal of Sociology. There's even a link for teaching qualitative research. The
Web site is maintained by Judy Norris, an associate professor at the University
of Alberta.
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu
This site is located at the Institute for Social Research at the University of
Michigan. This link provides access to the world's (their claim!) archive of
computerized social science data. Data categories include education, health
care, legal systems and social indicators. 18 different categories are listed.
HyperStat Online: An Introductory-Level Statistics Book
http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/contents.html
HyperStat online offers a number of resources from statistics to other helpful
sites. The online text book includes 18 chapters and a glossary, instructional
demos, and exercises. For example, If you click on "normal
distribution" you will find five sections: 1.What is it? 2.The standard
normal distribution 3.Why is it important 3.Converting to percentiles and back
5.Area under portions of the curve. A second column includes additional
resources. HyperStat also includes other resources such as books and online
sites as well as five - yes five!- links to statistic jokes! This site is a very
helpful reference for statistics.
Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/rvls.html
This site includes a link to HyperStat Online and three
additional resources: Simulations/Demonstrations - java applets that demonstrate
statistical concepts, case studies with examples of real data with analyses and
interpretation, and the Analysis Lab with some basic statistical analysis tools.
This is a very interesting, engaging site.
http://www.reyerson.ca/~mjoppe/research
I have included this site because the stated objective is to provide this
information in an easily accessible format and non-technical language. It was
designed to allow hospitality and tourism managers to familiarize themselves
with some of the basic quantitative and qualitative research techniques,
concepts and terminology. Industry examples are used throughout the site. The
table of contents includes problem definition, literature review, qualitative
research (survey's, case study...), statistics, data gathering, analysis,
conclusions, and recommendation. This is easy to read and gives a good overview
of quantitative and qualitative research.
Miscellaneous Resources
Association for the Support of Graduate Students
This association provides a number of resources to
graduate students including Thesis News, a news and reference bulletin for
graduate students writing their theses and a moderated email discussion list
about doing a thesis. The list several links to additional resources.