Combining English for Specific Purposes (ESP) genre-based analysis, corpus-based language studies, and semi-structured interviews, this book represents the first multi-faceted project on the macro-structure of empirical research articles (ERAs) from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, and on the “I+LR” patterned introductory phase (comprising two introductory sections, i.e., the Introduction and the Literature Review in RAs drawn from civil engineering and applied linguistics journals) regarding their rhetorical organization, use of citation, and structural and functional links and variations. The project comprises three logically interconnected studies using a multi-perspective (the cross-disciplinary, cross-generic, emic, and published advice vs. actual expert practices perspectives) approach. It will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the genre evolution, rhetorical organization and citation features of ERAs, enrich English for Academic Purposes (EAP) theories, and facilitate the development of EAP pedagogy and materials.

This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.

This book contains 13 carefully revised and selected papers from the 6th Workshop on Global Sourcing, held in Courchevel, France, during March 12-15, 2012. They have been selected from 46 submissions and represent both client and supplier perspectives on sourcing of global services. This volume is intended for use by students, academics, and practitioners interested in the outsourcing and offshoring of information technology and business processes. It offers a review of the key topics in outsourcing and offshoring, populated with practical frameworks that serve as a tool-kit for students and managers. The topics discussed combine theoretical and practical insights, and they are extensively illustrated by case studies from client and vendor organizations. Last but not least, the book examines current and future trends in outsourcing and offshoring, paying particular attention to the centrality of innovation in sourcing arragements, and how innovation can be realized in outsourcing.

Students can easily misstep when they first begin to do research. Leanne C. Powner’s new title Empirical Research and Writing: A Student′s Practical Guide provides valuable advice and guidance on conducting and writing about empirical research. Chapter by chapter, students are guided through the key steps in the research process. Written in a lively and engaging manner and with a dose of humor, this practical text shows students exactly how to choose a research topic, conduct a literature review, make research design decisions, collect and analyze data, and then write up and present the results. The book′s approachable style and just-in-time information delivery make it a text students will want to read, and its wide-ranging and surprisingly sophisticated coverage will make it an important resource for their later coursework.

Two questions often shape our view of the world. On the one hand, we ask what there is, on the other hand, we ask what there ought to be. Empirical research and normative theory, the methodological traditions concerned with these questions, entered a difficult relationship, from at least as early as around the time of the advent of modern sciences. To this day, there remains a strong separation between the two domains, with both tending to neglect discourses and results from the other. Contrary to a verdict of strict segregation between "is" and "ought," there are, nowadays, various attempts to integrate both theoretical approaches. This calls for a discourse on the relation between empirical research and normative theory. In this volume, scholars from different disciplines – including psychology, sociology, economics, and philosophy – discuss the possible desired or undesired influences on, and limits of, the integration of these two approaches.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th IFIP WG 13.2 International Conference on Human-Centered Software Engineering, HCSE 2014, held in Paderborn, Germany, in September 2014. The 13 full papers and 10 short papers presented together with one keynote were carefully reviewed and selected from 35 submissions. The papers cover various topics such as integration of software engineering and user-centered design; HCI models and model-driven engineering; incorporating guidelines and principles for designing usable products in the development process; usability engineering; methods for user interface design; patterns in HCI and HCSE; software architectures for user interfaces; user interfaces for special environments; representations for design in the development process; working with iterative and agile process models in HCSE; social and organizational aspects in the software development lifecycle; human-centric software development tools; user profiles and mental models; user requirements and design constraints; and user experience and software design.

Over the past decade, conducting empirical research in linguistics has become increasingly popular. The first of its kind, this book provides an engaging and practical introduction to this exciting versatile field, providing a comprehensive overview of research aspects in general, and covering a broad range of subdiscipline-specific methodological approaches. Subfields covered include language documentation and descriptive linguistics, language typology, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics, cognitive linguistics and psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics. The book reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of each single approach and on how they interact with one-another across the study of language in its many diverse facets. It also includes exercises, example student projects and recommendations for further reading, along with additional online teaching materials. Providing hands-on experience, and written in an engaging and accessible style, this unique and comprehensive guide will give students the inspiration they need to develop their own research projects in empirical linguistics.

Exceptionally clear and well-written chapters provide engaging discussions of the methods of accessing, generating, and analyzing social science data, using methods ranging from reflexive historical analysis to critical ethnography. Reflecting on their own research experiences, the contributors offer an inside, applied perspective on how research topics, evidence, and methods intertwine to produce knowledge in the social sciences.