Society for Medical Anthropology

Academic Resources: Research Tools

• Methods: General Resources, Qual/Quant, & Epi/Demographic Methods

general resources

• guides and definitions

  • Pitfalls of Data Analysis (or How to Avoid Lies and Damned Lies)
  • Selected Bibliography on Methods in Applied Anthropology -- Alvin W. Wolfe, USF, 1998

• publications

  • Field Methods Journal (formerly Cultural Anthropology Methods)
    
  • Social Science Methodology from Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG)

qualitative methods & quantitative methods

• publications

  • Field Methods, a refereed journal, publishes articles on methods for studying human thought and human behavior
  • International Journal of Qualitative Methods, a peer reviewed journal published quarterly as a web-based journal by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology at the University of Alberta, Canada, and its international affiliates. It is a multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual journal, free to the public.

• qualitative research tools

  • Short Courses on Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology (SCRM), supported by the National Science Foundation
  • Qualitative Methods Bibliography, from the University of New Mexico School of Nursing's Qualitative Cafe
  • Qualitative Research Net Ring
  • Qualitative Research Bibliography - Bobbi Kerlin, Ph.D.
  • Qualitative Research Resources created by Don Ratcliff, Ph.D.
    includes seminar notes and full text of Video and Audio Media in Qualitative Research
  • Qualitative Tools for Multimethod Research, Division of Social and Community Psychiatry Neuropsychiatric Institute UCLA - includes Complete Annotated Bibliography
  • The Qualitative Report - Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University
  • Resources for Fieldworkers, Appendix F for: H. Russell Bernard 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology. 4th edition. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press

• quantitative research tools

  • Resources for Fieldworkers, Appendix F for: H. Russell Bernard 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology. 4th edition. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press
  • Statistics and Statistical Graphics Resources
    an annotated, topic-based collection of available resources for statistics, statistical graphics, and computation related to research, data analysis and teaching
  • Statistical considerations for clinical trials and scientific experiments
    Find sample size, power or the minimal detectable difference for parallel studies, crossover studies, or studies to find associations between variables, where the dependent variable is Success or Failure, a Quantitative Measurement. or a or a time to an event such as a survival time.
  • Software and statistics: documentation and sources
    from Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), U. of Toronto
  • HyperStat Online -- An Introductory Statistics Book and Online Tutorial for Help in Statistics Courses
  • Web Resources in Statistics -- from the Division of Biostatistics, UCSF
  • download the latest version of EpiInfo from the CDC

epidemiological & demographic methods

• Search the Population Index
• Data and Methods Project and Health and Wellbeing Project at the Office of Population Research, Princeton University
• OPR also has working papers
• The Internet Guide to Demography and Population Studies

readings

• research methods

  • Shadish WR, Cook TC, Campbell DT. Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company; 2002 (ISBN 0395615569). A classic book that provides advance discussion of core issues in the experimental approach to causal inference. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of validity and threats to validity as well as detailed description of various experimental and quasi-experimental research methods.

• statistics

  • Minium EW, Clarke RC, Coladarci T. Elements of Statistical Reasoning. 2nd edition. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons; 1999 (ISBN 0471192775)
  • Norman GR, Streiner DL. Biostatistics. The Bare Essentials. 2nd edition. Hamilton, Ontario: B.C. Decker; 2000 (ISBN 1550091239)
    
  • Both books provide a comprehensive, down-to-earth review of basic statistics. Recommended for those who would like to be reminded (yet again&) of what to do and what to consider in data analysis.

• clinical research

  • Guyatt G, Rennie D, editors. User's Guide to the Medical Literature. Chicago: AMA Press; 2002 (ISBN 1579471749). An excellent overview of how to read and critically appraise the medical literature. Recommended mainly for clinicians and those who are interested in applied epidemiology. Available also in a pocket version (ISBN 1579471919) and on a CD-ROM.
  • Hulley SB, Cummings SR, Browner WS, Grady D, Hearst N, Newman TB. Designing Clinical Research. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2001 (ISBN 0781722187). A straightforward and reader-friendly practical guide for planning and implementing clinical research.
  • Kane RL. Understanding Health Outcomes Research. Gaithersburg, MA: Aspen Publication; 1997 (ISBN 0834209594). The book provides a comprehensive discussion of outcome research along with some practical advice.