The complex interactions between human and physical systems confronting social scientists and policymakers pose unique conceptual, methodological, and practical complications when ‘doing research’. Graduate students in a broad range of related fields need to learn how to tackle the discipline-specific issues of space, place, and scale as they propose and perform research in the spatial sciences. This practical textbook and overview blends plenty of concrete examples of spatial research and case studies to familiarize readers with the research process as it demystifies and exemplifies how to really do it. The appendix contains both completed and in-progress proposals for MA and PhD theses and dissertations. Emphasizing research as a learning and experiential process while providing students with the encouragement and skills needed for success in proposal writing, "Research Design and Proposal Writing in Spatial Science" can serve as a textbook for graduate-level research-design courses, as well as for undergraduate-level project-based spatial science courses. Keywords: proposal writing, grant writing, research, geography, spatial science

The investigation of the interactions between human and physical systems poses unique conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. This book establishes a spatial science framework for policymakers, social scientists, and environmental researchers as they explore and analyze complex problems. The authors provide guidance for scientists, writers, and students across a broad range of fields on how to tackle discipline-specific issues of space, place, and scale as they propose and conduct research in the spatial sciences. This practical textbook and overview blends plenty of concrete examples of spatial research and case studies to familiarize readers with the research process, demystifying and illustrating how it is actually done. The appendix contains both completed and in-progress proposals for MA and PhD theses and dissertations, as well as successful research grants. By emphasizing research as a learning and experiential process, while providing students with the encouragement and skills needed for success in proposal writing, "Research Design and Proposal Writing in Spatial Science" can serve as a textbook for research-design or project-based courses at the upper-division undergraduate and graduate level.

This comprehensive textbook offers a conceptual and practical introduction to research methodology, data collection, and techniques used in both human and physical geography. Explores a full range of contemporary geographic techniques, including statistics, mathematical analysis, GIS, and remote sensing Unique in both content and organization, it brings together a team of internationally recognized specialists to create a balanced approach between physical geography, human geography, and research techniques Includes a series of foundational chapters offering multiple perspectives on the central questions in research methods Examines the conceptual frameworks and practical issues behind data acquisition and analysis, and how to interpret results Includes explanations of key terminology and exercises throughout

Geomorphological Fieldwork addresses a topic that always remains popular within the geosciences and environmental science. More specifically, the volume conveys a growing legacy of field-based learning for young geomorphologists that can be used as a student book for field-based university courses and postgraduate research requiring fieldwork or field schools. The editors have much experience of field-based learning within geomorphology and extend this to physical geography. The topics covered are relevant to basic geomorphology as well as applied approaches in environmental and cultural geomorphology. The book integrates a physical-human approach to geography, but focuses on physical geography and geomorphology from an integrated field-based geoscience perspective. - Addresses fluvial and karst landscapes in depth - Focuses on field-based learning as well as educational geomorphology - Conveys experiential knowledge in international contexts

This book reviews contemporary research on urban infrastructure in 76 Ethiopian cities. It examines urban infrastructure issues in these cities and covers a wide range of topics from sustainability and smart cities to research methods employed by urban infrastructure investigators with regard to Ethiopian cities. Research on urban infrastructure legitimacies and modalities has established its value worldwide in recent years, though it is still fairly young in the Ethiopian context. The first chapter outlines ongoing issues of debate concerning urban infrastructures, including but not limited to discourses on sustainability, smart cities, innovative financing methods, and potential partnerships. Urban infrastructure issues in Ethiopian cities are examined in the second chapter, while the third chapter presents a review of the most relevant literature for researchers. Findings show that the citations in the research reports are mainly from the materials available over the internet, including WHO, UN-Habitat and unpublished local materials. The fourth chapter identifies patterns in the findings and recommendations of the research reports discussed. The results reveal that there is a wider gap between supply and demand with regard to urban infrastructure in Ethiopian cities, a situation that is further aggravated because of the growing urban population and already existing backlogs. The fifth chapter reviews the essential methods employed by urban infrastructure investigators in Ethiopian cities. In this regard, the cross-sectional study method with the use of survey method has been broadly adopted among investigators. Lastly, the book presents a summary and recommendations. It was observed that the urban infrastructure boom in Ethiopia is primarily concentrated in the key cities, and the current pattern of urban infrastructure provision does not incorporate the notion of sustainability. Hence, the book calls for setting the agenda of future research on urban infrastructure and services in Ethiopian cities together with the universities, private sector and government, who should ideally collaborate to produce the knowledge needed to improve quality of life, welfare, productivity, and economic growth.

This book examines the relationship between natural resource management, sustainable development, and governance with case studies from India and other places covering disaster risk reduction, conflict resolution, capacity building, climate change adaptation and resilience, citizen engagement and ecological conservation. Though the studies focus mostly on cases in India, the volume discusses how governance can be employed to help develop and implement sustainable practices globally through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. Readers will learn how to integrate concepts of resource management, sustainable development, and governance to improve human resilience to global environmental change, and to assess the proper development approaches to assist economically stressed and resource-deprived individuals. The book will be of use to graduate students and academics, policy makers, planners, and nonprofits.

This book explores the interactions between private sector development, public policies and societal institutions with a strong view on contributing to sustainable and inclusive development in emerging countries. The private sector is often praised as an engine of economic growth. This belief has led to significant efforts to promote private sector development in emerging countries. Development agencies prioritize private sector development and national governments are following suit, resulting in often huge incentives to stimulate and attract private investment. However, private sector development is not a panacea for sustainable and inclusive development as the past decades have clearly shown. Economic growth, societal development and environmental sustainability are often in a sharp conflict; and more often than not economic growth has failed to improve the lives of all citizens. This book examines the role the state and the private sector should play to benefit from the dynamics of business development, while ensuring that these benefits are shared broadly without jeopardizing sustainability. The views presented differ in detail, but the analyses and case studies presented share common themes, namely that the relative roles of state and private sector of should be balanced and that this particular balance should be based on the context of each country in order to make the private-public sector interaction work for all people.

How to Design, Write, and Present a Successful Dissertation Proposal, by Elizabeth A. Wentz, is essential reading for any graduate student entering the dissertation process in the social or behavioral sciences. The book addresses the importance of ethical scientific research, developing your curriculum vitae, effective reading and writing, completing a literature review, conceptualizing your research idea, and translating that idea into a realistic research proposal using research methods. The author also offers insight into oral presentations of the completed proposal, and the final chapter presents ideas for next steps after the proposal has been presented. Taking the view that we “learn by doing,” the author provides Quick Tasks, Action Items, and To Do List activities throughout the text that, when combined, develop each piece of your research proposal. Designed primarily for quantitative or mixed methods research dissertations, this book is a valuable start-to-finish resource.

"Covers a broad range of subjects that undergraduates in the discipline should be familiar and comfortable with upon graduation. From chapters on the scientific method and fundamental research concepts, to experimental design, sampling and statistical analysis, the text offers an excellent introduction to the key concepts of geographical research. The content is applicable for students at the beginning of their studies right through to planning and conducting dissertations. The book has also been of particular support in designing my level 1 and 2 tutorials which cover similar ground to several of the chapters." - Joseph Mallalieu, School of Geography, Leeds University "Montello and Sutton is one of the best texts I′ve used in seminars on research methodology. The text offers a clear balance of quantitative vs. qualitative and physical vs. human which I′ve found particularly valuable. The chapters on research ethics, scientific communication, information technologies and data visualization are excellent." - Kenneth E. Foote, Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder This is a broad and integrative introduction to the conduct and interpretation of scientific research, covering both geography and environmental studies. Written for undergraduate and postgraduate students, it: Explains both the conceptual and the technical aspects of research, as well as all phases of the research process Combines approaches in physical geography and environmental science, human geography and human-environment relations, and geographic and environmental information techniques (such as GIS, cartography, and remote sensing) Combines natural and social scientific approaches common to subjects in geography and environmental studies Includes case studies of actual research projects to demonstrate the breadth of approaches taken It will be core reading for students studying scientific research methods in geography, environmental studies and related disciplines such as planning and earth science.

Learning to Think Spatially examines how spatial thinking might be incorporated into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum. Spatial thinking must be recognized as a fundamental part of Kâ€"12 education and as an integrator and a facilitator for problem solving across the curriculum. With advances in computing technologies and the increasing availability of geospatial data, spatial thinking will play a significant role in the information-based economy of the twenty-first century. Using appropriately designed support systems tailored to the Kâ€"12 context, spatial thinking can be taught formally to all students. A geographic information system (GIS) offers one example of a high-technology support system that can enable students and teachers to practice and apply spatial thinking in many areas of the curriculum.