There has been a multitude of studies focused on the COVID-19 pandemic across fields and disciplines as all sectors of life have had to adjust the way things are done and adapt to the constantly shifting environment. These studies are crucial as they provide support and perspectives on how things are changing and what needs to be done to stay afloat. Connecting COVID-19-related studies and big data analytics is crucial for the advancement of industrial applications and research areas. Applied Big Data Analytics and Its Role in COVID-19 Research introduces the most recent industrial applications and research topics on COVID-19 with big data analytics. Featuring coverage on a broad range of big data technologies such as data gathering, artificial intelligence, smart diagnostics, and mining mobility, this publication provides concrete examples and cases of usage of data-driven projects in COVID-19 research. This reference work is a vital resource for data scientists, technical managers, researchers, scholars, practitioners, academicians, instructors, and students.

Innovative methodological approaches are vital for experienced researchers and early-career researchers alike to conduct research. In order to provide them with the best possible resources, the methodologies must be comprehensive and describe the data sources, approaches to data collection, and approaches to data analysis that are typically employed within the given methodological approach. Methodological Innovations in Research and Academic Writing serves as a resource for graduate students and higher education faculty and presents a number of methodological innovations in research as well as applied examples of these methodologies in practice. The chapters focus on the application of methodological approaches (through the presentation of real-world examples) and descriptions of the epistemological foundations of the given methodologies so that researchers can fully articulate and justify their methodological choices in the context of their research design. It is a crucial guide for graduate students who are designing and writing their doctoral dissertations as it introduces them to the best practices related to rigorous research design and academic writing. This book is ideal for graduate students, higher education faculty, researchers, and academicians.

Indispensable to the research practice carried out by so-called "contracting researchers," who are often based in the Global North, "facilitating researchers," often based in those conflict-affected areas of the Global South that contracting researchers are contracted to study, are usually the ones who truly regulate the access and flow of knowledge. Yet as often as not, they are referred to merely as 'fixers', with their contributions systematically erased in final research texts. Facilitating Researchers in Insecure Zones brings together first-hand accounts by several facilitating or "brokering" researchers in three settings afflicted by armed conflict--namely, DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Jharkhand, India--in order to highlight the varied and crucial roles they play. In so doing, this volume also bears witness to the insecurities and resource-scarcities they have to navigate in order to facilitate the research of others. Ultimately, their experiences and insights point to more equitable fieldwork and more collaborative processes of knowledge production. For its first-hand accounts of fieldwork in insecure zones, as well as for its diverse geographical and topical coverage, this book is a must-read for researchers and students researching interested in ethnographic and fieldwork methods and ethics, particularly as they apply to conflicts and to research in the Global South.

A productive writer writes regularly, produces goal-directed written work and enjoys the process. Productive writing addresses the problem of why some people publish with ease and others struggle, and seeks to take the non-productive writer and turn him or her into a prolific one. Important themes in the book are dealing with writer's block, procrastination and making time to write. An array of explanations, research and activities is presented to encourage exploring, thinking, speculating, testing, documenting, questioning and developing authority. Crafting the document itself is just one part of the writing spectrum. The increasing focus on research and publishing at universities and universities of technology makes this book an important contribution to the available literature on research. Addressing throughput for postgraduate students and output for academic staff, the book is aimed at both these categories. Productive writing complements two earlier research books by Cecile Badenhorst, Research writing and Dissertation writing, and focuses on important aspects of research that are not covered in those books.

Introducing the key questions and challenges faced by the researcher of digital discourse, this book provides an overview of the different methodological dimensions associated with this type of research. Bringing together a team of experts, chapters guide students and novice researchers through how to conduct rigorous, accurate, and ethical research with data from a wide range of online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and online dating apps. Research Methods for Digital Discourse Analysis focuses on the key issues that any digital discourse analyst must consider, before tackling more specific topics and approaches, including how to work with multilingual or multimodal data. Emphasizing concrete, practical advice and illustrated with plentiful examples from research studies, each chapter introduces a new research dimension for consideration, briefly exploring how other discourse analysts have approached the topic before using an in-depth case study to highlight the main challenges and provide guidance on methodological decision-making. Supported by a range of pedagogical tools, including discussion questions and annotated further-reading lists, this book is an essential resource for students and any researcher new to analyzing digital discourse.

A first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, this multi-disciplinary collection brings together contributions from a variety of Caribbean-based and diasporic researchers and activists about the main methods used in existing feminist research practice. Comprising 29 chapters organized around 7 main themes - History & Historiography; Methodologies for Feminist Organizing & Action Research; Researching Gender; Researching Sexualities; Researching the Visual & Cultural; Methods for Analysing Talk & Text; and Reflections on Positionality - this book brings together canonical texts on Caribbean gender and sexuality research methods and methodology, recent research on digital cultures and critical reflections on positionality in fieldwork. The collection reveals both the embrace of multiple methods by Caribbean researchers and the limitations that the need to produce detailed and comprehensive knowledge about gender and sexuality imposes on the research process. It is an invaluable resource for university students, for teaching purposes in women, gender and sexuality studies, and methods courses.

Qualitative Research in Education and Social Sciences, Second Edition provides readers with an in-depth guide on planning, conducting, and reporting qualitative research to inform professions, communities, and scholarship as a whole. It also considers the importance of cultivating the relationships that researchers develop with others as well as within themselves as they navigate complex questions that impact them both professionally and personally. Authors Danica G. Hays and Anneliese A. Singh organize this step-by-step guide in four sections: Foundations of Qualitative Inquiry; Qualitative Research Design; Data Collection and Analysis; and The Qualitative Research Proposal and Report. A focus on shared power, collaboration, and personal and political activism is infused in their research approach and recommended often throughout the text. This second edition reflects a more multidimensional perspective of the role of the qualitative researcher, a restructured and updated presentation of qualitative research paradigms and traditions, an expansion on online media research, and a continuing eye toward empowerment and advocacy within the research conducted with participants and communities. This text is written at a level most suitable for graduate-level students, practitioners, and educators in a variety of education and social science disciplines.

The purpose of Research At Grass Roots is to accompany the novice researcher, in both the social sciences and human service professions, step by step through the research process. The description of the research process is probably unique in that this view has been developed over at least two decades through work with postgraduate students. The section for experienced researchers is less structured and discusses current topics of interest such as evaluation research, intervention research, participatory action research, and analysis of concepts such as evidence-based practice.

The interplay between scientific theory and research, and between research and professional practice, has once again been highlighted. This encompasses important debates for experienced researchers and practitioners, including crucial concepts for novice researchers to master as early as possible in their academic careers.

The section dealing with different models for combining quantitative and qualitative styles of research has been updated to include recent debates and developments in the field of mixed methods designs. Both sections dealing with qualitative and quantitative designs and analysis have been substantially revised and updated. We have included contributions from experienced researchers such as Prof. Willem Schurink, a qualitative researcher and doctoral supervisor, Prof. Wim Roestenburg, a senior academic and researcher, and Dr Allen Bartley, an international contributor and expert in statistical analysis. Prof. Minrie Greeff has again provided insight from her vast experience of research interviewing. Salient features of the previous three editions have been retained in order to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of current users of this very successful book.

Digital humanities is a dynamic and emerging field that aspires to enhance traditional research and scholarship through digital media. Although countries around the world are witnessing the widespread adoption of digital humanities, only a small portion of the literature discusses its development in the Asia Pacific region. Digital Humanities and Scholarly Research Trends in the Asia-Pacific provides innovative insights into the development of digital humanities and their ability to facilitate academic exchange and preserve cultural heritage. The content covers challenges including the need to maintain digital humanities momentum in libraries and research communities, to increase international collaboration, to maintain and promote developed digital projects, to deploy and redeploy resources to support research, and to build new skillsets and new professionals in the library. It is designed for librarians, government agencies, industry professionals, academicians, and researchers.