Abstract
The mind maps represent the authors’ concept of research methods at this time. The major aspects, rather than a complete picture, of research methods are illustrated in seven distinct areas: research problem, research design, sampling techniques, ethical matters, data collection, data analysis, and report findings. Brief descriptions explain the mind maps and why items were placed in certain areas where as traditionally they may have been placed else where. The mind maps show that although decisions made in one area of research methods may affect decisions made in another, there is no pre-determined connection between each area and the research design chosen. The mind maps can be used to as a guide to teach, supervise, and chart a way though the concepts of research methods and may help to produce more robust research.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Barnett-Page, E., Thomas, J.: Methods for the synthesis of qualitative research: a critical review. BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 9(59) (2009). doi:10.1186/1471-2288-9-59
Buzan T., Abbott S.: The ultimate book of mind maps: unlock your creativity, boost your memory, change your life. Thorsons, London (2005)
Campbell D.T., Stanley J.C.: Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1966)
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination: Systematic reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care. CRD, University of York, York, England (2009)
Cooper H.M., Hedges L.V., Valentine J.C.: The handbook of research synthesis and meta analysis, 2nd edn. Russell Sage Foundation, New York (2009)
Creswell J.W.: Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks (2008)
Crotty M.: The foundations of social research: meaning and perspective in the research process. Allen & Unwin , St Leonards (1998)
Crowe, M., Sheppard, L.: Qualitative and quantitative research designs are more similar than different. Internet J. Allied Health Sci. Pract. (2010)
Crowe, M., Sheppard, L.: Reliability analysis for a proposed critical appraisal tool demonstrated value for diverse research designs. J. Clin. Epidemiol. (under review)
DePaulo, P.: Sample size for qualitative research. Quirk’s Mark. Res. Rev. (2000). Article ID: 20001202
Dixon-Woods, M., Booth, A., Sutton, A.J.: Synthesizing qualitative research: a review of published reports. Qual. Res. 7(3), 375–422 (2007). doi:10.1177/1468794107078517
Farrand, P., Hussain, F., Hennessy, E.: The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique. Med. Educ. 36(5), 426–431 (2002). doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01205.x
Miller D.C., Salkind N.J.: Handbook of research design and social measurement, 6th edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks (2002)
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, Universities Australia: Australian code for the responsible conduct of research. NHMRC, Canberra, ACT (2007)
Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Leech, N.L.: Taking the “q” out of research: teaching research methodology courses without the divide between quantitative and qualitative paradigms. Qual. Quant. 39(3), 267–295 (2005). doi:10.1007/s11135-004-1670-0
Onwuegbuzie, A.J., Leech, N.L.: A call for qualitative power analyses. Qual. Quant. 41(1), 105–121 (2007). doi:10.1007/s11135-005-1098-1
Patton M.Q.: Qualitative evaluation and research methods, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks (2002)
Polgar S., Thomas S.A.: Introduction to research in the health sciences, 5th edn. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh (2007)
Portney L.G., Watkins M.P.: Foundations of clinical research: applications to practice, 3rd edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (2008)
Williams, C.,Williams, S., Appleton, K.: Mind maps: an aid to effective formulation. Behav. Cogn. Psychother. 25(3), 261–267 (1997). doi:10.1017/s1352465800018555
Zar J.H.: Biostatistical analysis, 4th edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (1999)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic Supplementary Material
The Below is the Electronic Supplementary Material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Crowe, M., Sheppard, L. Mind mapping research methods. Qual Quant 46, 1493–1504 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9463-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9463-8