Research Tool Kit

Research Writing and Presentation Resources

Research

• SFU Library Education Databases
• Education Full Text Premier (direct link-password needed)
• Search SFU for a specific journal
• International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (SFU password required)

Writing

• SFU Library Writing Resources
• SFU Library's APA Style Guide
• Tradecraft: Professional Writing as Problem Solving (SFU password required)
• Peer editing guide
• SFU Student Learning Commons: The SLC is an academic learning centre providing academic assistance programs for graduate students, international students, mature/returning students, English language learners, and others.
• Write Away (BC Campus) (Coming soon)

Posters

• Better Posters--A resource for improving poster presentations
• Creating Effective Poster Presentations
• Eye Tracking
• SFU Document Solutions

Research Methods, Stats, and Research Design

Methods

• NCES Survey Design Standards
• Qualitative research analysis

Statistics

• Web Pages that Perform Statistical Calculations
• Salkind's Student Study Site

Research Ethics

• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans
• CIHR Best Practices for Protecting Privacy
• SFU Office of Research Ethics
Surrey School District Information
• Surrey school district research overview and manual (see Policy 10770)
• Modified Surrey Cohort Form

Research Bias Check Lists

These checklists are designed to help readers frame and evaluate the quality of the research they are reviewing.
1. Possible sources of bias
2. Protections from bias

Policymaker's primer on education research (ECS)

According to ECS, the goal of the Policymaker’s Primer on Education Research is to help policymakers and other interested individuals answer three big questions: what does the research say; is the research trustworthy; and how can the research be used to guide policy?
• ECS Primer

Other

Open Access

• Open Access Journals
• Open Access textbooks
• Public Knowledge Project
• Structured Abstract Database Project

Software

• MacStats (Links and reviews of stats software for the Macintosh
• The R poject (free downloadable statistical software)

The American College of Physicians has a useful set of Research Primers that explain complex research issues using simple language with concrete examples. The full collection of primers is available in one large PDF file, or you can access selected Primers using the links below.
1. Primer on 95% CIs for the Number Needed To Treat      HTML     PDF


2. Primer on Utilities      HTML     PDF


3. Primer on Before-After Studies      HTML     PDF


4. Primer on Absolute vs. Relative Differences      HTML     PDF


5. Primer on Probability and Odds and Interpreting their Ratios      HTML     PDF


6. A Primer on Scores - What counts?      HTML     PDF


7. A Primer on Cost-effectiveness Analysis      HTML     PDF


8. Primer on Group Randomized Trials      HTML     PDF


9. Primer on Correlation Coefficients      HTML     PDF


10. Primer on Statistical Significance and P Values      HTML     PDF


11. Primer on Geographic Variation in Health Care      HTML     PDF


12. Primer on 95% Confidence Intervals      HTML     PDF


13. Primer on Type I and Type II Errors      HTML     PDF


14. Primer on Interpreting Surveys      HTML     PDF

Other Primers

1. Propensity score matching