Literature reviews are undertaken by academics and students to collate, analyse, and critique the ideas and arguments presented in a range of research studies in order to understand where research boundaries are located, to identify areas where knowledge is missing or contested, and where future research may be undertaken. Literature reviews are…

The authors present details of a research-based course in development economics taught at a private liberal arts college. There were three key elements in this class: teaching of applied econometrics, group presentations reviewing published and working papers in development economics, and using concepts taught in class to write an original…

Despite its growing popularity, the thesis by publication is a less conventional format for doctoral dissertations in the field of education. The author successfully undertook a thesis by publication in education from 2012, to submission in 2014. This paper draws on both the literature in the field and the experiences of the author through an…

Graduate students must complete a research project to receive their degree. In addition to this basic requirement, the student may be required to submit a research proposal and application to the governing Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval prior to beginning the research project. This article describes the IRB process and offers tips…

Many instructors teach courses that prepare students to do research individually or in teams. These instructors also supervise their students' research projects. Continuous and systematic use of action research principles can help instructors prepare for problems that may develop when students encounter unfamiliar issues at research sites due to…

Funded by innovative programs at the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Richmond faculty in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science teamed up to offer first- and second-year students the opportunity to contribute to vibrant, interdisciplinary research projects. The result was…

In many teacher education programs, some form of inquiry or practitioner research is now included in the preservice teacher education curriculum. The intention is to help teacher candidates become professionals who are lifelong learners who raise questions and research their practice across the professional career. At the same time, teacher…

The following project aimed at promoting integrated and long-lasting learning is described for an Immunology course, but it may be adapted to other disciplines. Students were asked to develop and carry out a research project to examine the relationship between immune function and stress. The experiments were required to include the assessment of…

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The…

Describes researching and writing institutional histories and focuses on preparing a history of the psychology department. Provides time requirements for the research; project formats; sources for historical information; and methods for doing historical research. Reports on the benefits students and faculty derived from the projects. (DB)

Provides data collected from 218 institutions offering graduate and undergraduate engineering degrees. These data (presented alphabetically by institution) include number of faculty, student enrollment, graduate degree requirements, degree programs, degrees offered, appointments to graduate students, major research areas, and research…

Provides a summary of research and graduate study activities at 227 U.S. and Canadian engineering colleges. Included is information on the number of faculty and students; degree requirements; degree granted; research areas; and research expenditures of each institution. Presents indices by fields of graduate study and areas of research. (YP)

Reviews improvements to the Dictionary on Computer (DOC) research system redesigned by the University of California Berkeley Project on Linguistic Analysis. Emphasizes the redesigned program's greater accessibility since its introduction into a microcomputer environment. Underscores DOC's research value for studying the history of Chinese…

Describes some of the features of Lehigh University's (Pennsylvania) process modeling and control program. Highlights the creation and operation of the Chemical Process Modeling and Control Center (PMC). Outlines the program's philosophy, faculty, technical program, current research projects, and facilities. (TW)