Evaluating Research: Methodology for People Who Need to Read Research

The third edition of Evaluating Research by Francis C. Dane and Elliot Carhart provides students with the skills to read and evaluate research studies. Aimed at courses where it is more important for students to develop an understanding of methods, rather than conduct their own research, this book covers all aspects of reading social, behavioral, and health science research from the basics, such as the structure of reports and accessing research, as well as overviews of the main types of research methods. The authors emphasize critical reading skills to enable students to become experts in evaluating research, so students can decide whether to incorporate that research into their future professional activities. 

Each chapter includes an overview at the beginning and exercises at the end to reinforce the content learned. Starting from the basic principles of why we do research, the book moves readers through the practicalities of finding studies to the principles of the scientific method and how to break down and analyze research reports. New to the third edition, Understanding Checks placed throughout each chapter help students cement their learning. The organization of the book is now more logical, with a new chapter on accessing research up front and ending with a chapter on statistical analyses. New research examples throughout, including such topical examples as mindfulness, college attendance, and bias in healthcare, help students see the relevance of research in their lives.

Francis C. Dane received a BS in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a PhD in social psychology from the University of Kansas. His advisor was Larry Wrightsman, and he has certainly followed in Dr. Wrightsman’s footsteps in terms of staying active in publishing and doing research. He started as assistant professor of psychology at State University of New York in Oswego, New York, from 1979 to 1983. He moved to Clemson University in South Carolina from 1983 to 1988, where he was promoted to associate professor of psychology, and then moved to Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he was associate professor and department chair of psychology. He stayed at Mercer as the William Heard Kilpatrick professor of psychology in the college of liberal arts and as professor of internal medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine until 2002. He then became the inaugural James V. Finkbeiner endowed chair of ethics and public policy in the college of arts and behavioral sciences at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan, until 2010, after which he accepted the position chair of arts and sciences at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Virginia. When Jefferson College became part of Radford University in 2019 he became Professor of Psychology at Radford. He can be reached via e-mail at fcdane@jchs.edu and followed on Twitter as @FrankDaneDoc.

Elliot D. Carhart is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Professions at Radford University Carilion. He completed his undergraduate education at St. Petersburg College before studying at Nova Southeastern University, where he earned his Ed.D. in healthcare education. As a former firefighter/paramedic and respiratory therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience, he now teaches evidence-based practice and applied research methods while supervising undergraduate research. He can be reached by email at ecarhart@radford.edu and on Twitter @ResearchMedic.