Doctoral Students

Helpful Links

Subject/Program Resources

Phone: 803-807-5112   Email: kevin.flickner@ciu.edu

Fill out the interlibrary loan form to obtain articles and chapters from books that we do not have full text online.

SAGE Research Methodssupports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. Nearly everyone at a university is involved in research, from students learning how to conduct research to faculty conducting research for publication to librarians delivering research skills training and doing research on the efficacy of library services. SAGE Research Methods has the answer for each of these user groups, from a quick dictionary definition, a case study example from a researcher in the field, a downloadable teaching dataset, a full-text title from the Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences series, or a video tutorial showing research in action.

SAGE Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. The site is designed to guide users to the content they need to learn a little or a lot about their method. The Methods Map can help those less familiar with research methods to find the best technique to use in their research. Built upon SAGE’s legacy of methods publishing, SAGE Research Methods is the essential online tool for researchers.

Finding Resources

Journal Articles, Books, and Ebooks

  • EBSCO
    • Most of the library's online resources can be searched in EBSCO.
  • JSTOR
    • Scholarly resources on JSTOR include Archival and Current Journals, Books, and Primary Sources.
  • Google Scholar
    • Find scholarly resources in Google Scholar.

Dissertations and Theses

  • See the Finding Online Dissertations tab on the left side of screen

    CIU Dissertations

    These are the best places to search for dissertations in the CIU library databases:

    Other Dissertations Locations

    Tests and Studies

    • APA PsycTests
      • A one-of-a-kind database of psychological tests and measures designed for use with social and behavioral science research. APA PsycTests’ expertly-created metadata allows you to instantly find and download instruments for research and/or teaching. Focused primarily on unpublished tests, this database was designed to save you time from having to reproduce tests when conducting research on previously measured constructs.
    • Mental Measurements Yearbook™ with Tests in Print
      • MMY provides users with a comprehensive guide to over 2,700 contemporary testing instruments. This resource contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, education, business, and leadership. TIP provides vital information to users including test purpose, test publisher, in-print status, price, test acronym, intended test population, administration times, publication date(s), and test author(s). A score index permits users to identify what is being measured by each test.
    • ERIC
      • The Education Resource Information Center is produced by the United States Department of Education. It is a collection of education research and information. It contains more than 1.4 million records and links to more than 337,000 full text documents back to 1966.

    • Dissertation Solutions by Windell/Axelrod 
      • New graduate students are often unaware of the many hazards and pitfalls that occur during the dissertation process: intensive schedules, dwindling motivation, difficult or unavailable mentors, and research and publication complications. Lacking the experience and wherewithal to successfully overcome or avoid these impetuses for derailment, many students are unable to complete the dissertation process, losing sight somewhere in between reading, studying, collecting data, and writing a thesis. Based on the authors' inside knowledge and extensive experience, Dissertation Solutions provides graduate students with the basic tools and skills to help them navigate the whole process with minimal damage, making the whole process of planning, researching, and writing more manageable. This thorough, but concise guide will help even the most naive graduate student become experts in navigating and surviving their graduate experiences. Outlining the dissertation process, explaining the key players involved, and offering advice to help complete any research project, this book will also provide overwhelmed, intimidated, or just reluctant students with the motivation required to complete this arduous project.
      • 3 Users (EBSCO)
      • ISBN: 9781610488679
      • Publication Date: 2012
    • Writing a Proposal for Your Dissertation by Steven R. Terrell 
      • This user-friendly guide helps students get started on--and complete--a successful doctoral dissertation proposal by accessibly explaining the process and breaking it down into manageable steps. Steven R. Terrell demonstrates how to write each chapter of the proposal, including the problem statement, purpose statement, and research questions and hypotheses; literature review; and detailed plan for data collection and analysis. Of special utility, end-of-chapter exercises serve as building blocks for developing a full draft of an original proposal. Numerous case study examples are drawn from across the social, behavioral, and health science disciplines. Appendices present an exemplary proposal written three ways to encompass quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs. User-Friendly Features *"Let's Start Writing" exercises leading up to a complete proposal draft. *"Do You Understand?" checklists of key terms plus an end-of-book glossary. *End-of-chapter quizzes with answers. *Case study examples from education, psychology, health sciences, business, and information systems. *Sample proposal with three variants of the methods chapter: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods.
      • 3 Users (EBSCO)
      • ISBN: 9781462523023
      • Publication Date: 2015
    • The Qualitative Dissertation in Education by Karri A. Holley; Michael S. Harris 
      • The Qualitative Dissertation in Educationfocuses on the experiences of students pursuing a doctorate in education and writing a qualitative dissertation. The literature on qualitative research has grown substantially over the past 25 years, but methods books often fail to consider the unique situations and resources available to students pursuing a professional doctorate. This book examines the entirety of the dissertation experience, walking readers through the process with examples and guidelines. The structure of the book outlines each chapter of the dissertation as well as the necessary steps to start and complete the dissertation, such as working with a faculty chair and committee, developing a peer support group, and organizing literature. Not only does the book cover each stage of the dissertation process, it also provides practical guidance on topics such as productivity, with exercises and resources to help students overcome obstacles and make progress in their writing. The Qualitative Dissertation in Educationprovides a foundation to understand both the basics of qualitative research and the expectations of the EdD dissertation. gress in their writing. The Qualitative Dissertation in Educationprovides a foundation to understand both the basics of qualitative research and the expectations of the EdD dissertation.
      • 3 Users (EBSCO)
      • ISBN: 9781138486706
      • Publication Date: 2019
    • The Dissertation Desk Reference by Raymond L. Calabrese 
      • The dissertation process is one of endurance, willpower, and patience. To simplify the journey for today's graduate students, The Dissertation Desk Reference harvests the components that consistently appear in dissertations, with a separate entry for each component. Each entry includes a comprehensive example taken directly from a high-quality dissertation accompanied by a note describing what the researcher did. This book is user-friendly for doctoral students and their faculty advisors.
      • Unlimited Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 9781607094753
      • Publication Date: 2009
    • Mastering Your Business Dissertation by Robert Lomas 
      • The ability to write to a high standard is a key skill that is often overlooked in the business world. This short book from an international, best-selling author offers a practical guide to conceiving, researching and writing a business or management dissertation. Robert Lomas offers an inspirational treatise that will awaken the quest for knowledge among his readership. The book helps business students to frame their research questions in a more helpful manner in order to achieve their research aims and write in a clear and top scoring way. Topics covered include collecting and measuring data, using business statistics, planning research projects and the real mechanics of writing a dissertation. Masters students across business and management will benefit enormously from reading this book, not just in adding serious value to their dissertations, but also helping to improve their writing skills throughout their business careers. This book includes a foreword by Mark Booth. ncludes a foreword by Mark Booth.
      • 3 Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 9780203816158
      • Publication Date: 2013
    • Writing a Graduate Thesis or Dissertation by Lorrie Blair 
      • The Teaching Writing series publishes user-friendly writing guides penned by authors with publishing records in their subject matter. Blair's practical book gives graduate students the tools they need to successfully plan, write, and defend their thesis or dissertation. Each chapter addresses a rite of passage common to most graduate programs: selecting a methodology, conducting a literature search, carrying out research, analyzing data, and preparing for a thesis defense. Combining years of supervisory experience with up-to-date research, Blair addresses issues important to graduate students that are often left out of these guides, including how to navigate the ethics review process and avoid problems related to academic integrity, such as plagiarism, how to select and prepare for a productive meeting with a supervisor, and how to establish an academic track record by presenting research at conferences and publishing in academic journals. Writing a Graduate Thesis or Dissertation offers much more than its title suggests. It is a thorough and succinct guide to succeeding in graduate school, appropriate for thesis and research methods courses, and a must-read for graduate students across the disciplines. "Like a series of productive meetings with a trusted advisor, each chapter of this text provides practical information and sound insight, thoughtfully organized and generously shared." - Christine Marmé Thompson, Professor of Art Education, School of Visual Arts, Pennsylvania State University "This will become a 'must-have' volume for every graduate student's book shelf, with advice for every step of the thesis journey." - Anne Lavack, Professor of Marketing, School of Business and Economics, Thompson Rivers University "More than simply comprehensive, this work includes information and considerations that are rarely addressed in other guides, including information related to selecting supervisors and alternative forms of research methodologies and format styles." - Adrienne Boulton-Funke, Assistant Professor, Art and Design, Missouri State University Lorrie Blair is a Professor of Art Education at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. With over 25 years post-secondary teaching experience, she has held positions at universities in the United States and Canada. She is active as a supervisor of MA and Ph.D. thesis students and was a recent recipient of the Faculty of Fine Arts Distinguished Teaching Award.
      • 3 Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 9789463004268
      • Publication Date: 2016
    • Elements of Inquiry by Peter J. Burke; Sara Jimenez Soffa 
      • The Elements of Inquirycovers the basic guidelines for graduate students doing an investigation or inquiry project. It distils the rubrics necessary for teaching research methods and completing research projects, and gives the student researcher a list of steps to follow to complete any type of inquiry project - including formal research projects such as doctoral dissertations. It was written to support the work of students in an educational leadership doctoral program, but it will also assist the research efforts of college students at any level in any discipline. The book begins by establishing the underlying philosophical concepts upon which all good research is based, preparing students to get down to the "nuts and bolts" of conducting their own research and evaluating the research of others. Fundamental concepts and rules of research are explained both for producers and consumers of social science and educational research. Numerous practical examples illustrate the steps in the research process presented in the text. There are end-of-chapter exercises for students to apply the concepts discussed in the chapter. Templates for organizing and presenting research provide students with a game plan for success with their research. The book ends with an up-to-date annotated bibliography of beginning and advanced research texts allowing students easy access to books that detail the more specialized research topics. While most research books detail one or more method in depth, this text provides a broad introduction to many techniques and models used in doctoral dissertations, and will be of particular value to those who are consumers of inquiry studies and research reports. Key to the overview provided is the annotated bibliography that leads the reader to the next stage of understanding or doing research. mples illustrate the steps in the research process presented in the text. There are end-of-chapter exercises for students to apply the concepts discussed in the chapter. Templates for organizing and presenting research provide students with a game plan for success with their research. The book ends with an up-to-date annotated bibliography of beginning and advanced research texts allowing students easy access to books that detail the more specialized research topics. While most research books detail one or more method in depth, this text provides a broad introduction to many techniques and models used in doctoral dissertations, and will be of particular value to those who are consumers of inquiry studies and research reports. Key to the overview provided is the annotated bibliography that leads the reader to the next stage of understanding or doing research.
      • 3 Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 9780815362906
      • Publication Date: 2018
    • From Student to Scholar by Keith Hjortshoj 
      • From Student to Scholar guides graduate students through the "hidden" developmental transition required in writing a dissertation and moving beyond, to become a successful scholar. Identifying common rhetorical challenges across disciplines, author Hjortshoj explains how to accommodate evolving audiences, motivations, standards, writing processes, and timelines. One full chapter is devoted to "writing blocks," and another offers advice to international students who are non-native speakers of English. The text also offers advice for managing relations with advisors and preparing for the diverse careers that PhDs, trained primarily as research specialists, actually enter. On the basis of more than thirty years of consultations with graduate students, this volume is an important addition to graduate thesis seminars and composition courses, as well as an invaluable reference for writing centers, workshops, and learning support centers.
      • 3 Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 9781138569423
      • Publication Date: 2018
    • A Concise Guide to Writing a Thesis or Dissertation by Halyna M. Kornuta; Ron W. Germaine 
      • A Concise Guide to Writing a Thesis or Dissertationprovides clear, succinct, and intentional guidelines about organizing and writing a thesis or dissertation. Part I provides an overview for writing a thesis or dissertation. It describes the big picture of planning and formatting a research study, from identifying a topic to focusing on writing quality. Part II describes the framework and substance of a research study. It models the pattern generally found in a formal, five-chapter research study. Each chapter of a thesis or dissertation has a specific purpose, and this book focuses on each in an easy-to-follow structure. Chapter One reviews the headings and contents expected in the introduction of a study. Chapter Two provides advice for writing a literature review. Chapter Three discusses what to include when describing the methodology. These first three chapters form the proposal section of a study. Two additional chapters present results (Chapter Four) and provide discussion and conclusions (Chapter Five). Appendices offer resources for instructors and students, including a rubric for evaluating writing, exercises to strengthen skills in APA format, sample purpose statements, a research planning organizer, and a guide for scholarly writing. The book is designed overall to be a practical guide and resource for students for their thesis or dissertation process. Note to readers: Due to publishing limitations, some of the titles within the book do not accurately conform with APA format. For precise APA format, please see the APA manual (2010, pp. 62-63), or refer to Table 1.1, (p. 8) or Table D.1 (p. 107) in this book. esults (Chapter Four) and provide discussion and conclusions (Chapter Five). Appendices offer resources for instructors and students, including a rubric for evaluating writing, exercises to strengthen skills in APA format, sample purpose statements, a research planning organizer, and a guide for scholarly writing. The book is designed overall to be a practical guide and resource for students for their thesis or dissertation process. Note to readers: Due to publishing limitations, some of the titles within the book do not accurately conform with APA format. For precise APA format, please see the APA manual (2010, pp. 62-63), or refer to Table 1.1, (p. 8) or Table D.1 (p. 107) in this book.
      • 3 Users (Proquest Ebook Central)
      • ISBN: 0367174588
      • Publication Date: 2019