Introduction
Purpose: This webportal is a ‘one-stop shop’ providing up-to-date and comprehensive guidance about the information needed to carry out social science research in New Zealand. (In particular, the material is designed to indicate to researchers local ‘best practise’ standards in carrying out social research in NZ.)
Broadly, the processes of carrying out social research are similar throughout the world. However, there can be differences which are a function of:
- the somewhat different institutional arrangements in different countries,
- cultural and other environments, and
- particular histories of the relationship between the research community, policy-makers and the public.
This webportal seeks to alert researchers to these differences, while assuming that the basics of theories and social science research methodologies are acquired from other sources. (For one of many general social research methods websites see http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/). The emphasis is on making links to where appropriate and up-to-date material is available rather than accumulating material on this site.
Audiences: This webportal addresses inexperienced social researchers, but also experienced social researchers who wish to keep up with developments. One potential audience is visiting scholars to New Zealand who may have generic social research skills but not the local knowledge of how to apply these in the NZ context.
Organisation: The webportal is organised around answering 15 key questions researchers might want to know answers to, or at least where to look. It provides information about the organisational structure of social science in NZ and then is organised in terms of the stages of the research process, with guidance succesively provided in relation to: topics, funding, literature, theory, data, methodologies/ methods, ethics & law, publications, etc..
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