"Teaches students how to prepare research proposals and carry out research studies using a practical approach. The second edition puts a greater emphasis on evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and the use of aggregate data. The outstanding feature of this text is its reality-based approach to the actual conduct of research. The text also reflects current practice and current thinking about research and integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, including emerging mixed methods"-- Provided by publisher.

Identifying a research topic -- Reviewing the literature -- Theory -- Design phase -- Experimental research designs -- Descriptive research designs, mixed methods, and meta-analysis -- Epidemiological and longitudinal designs -- Sampling -- Reliability -- Validity -- Rigor in qualitative research -- Research ethics -- Participant recruitment -- Data collection : testing and observation -- Data collection : interviewing individuals and groups -- Internet, secondary analysis, and historical research -- Intervention -- Quantitative data management -- Basic quantitative data analysis -- Inferential analysis -- Analysis of qualitative data -- Presenting your research findings -- Publishing your research findings -- Preparing research proposals -- Evidence-based practice -- Patient safety and quality research -- Developing a program of research.