ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.   Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.   Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.   Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.   -- Written in uncommonly engaging and elegant prose, Practical Research:  Planning and Design is a "do-it-yourself, understand-it-yourself" manual designed to help students in any discipline understand the fundamental structure of quality research and the methodical process that leads to valid and reliable results.   The authors emphasize two things: 1) that quality research demands planning and design; and, 2) how research projects can be executed effectively and professionally.   This text guides the reader, step-by-step, from the selection of a problem, through the process of conducting authentic research, to the preparation of a completed report, with practical suggestions based on a solid theoretical framework and sound pedagogy.  With broad coverage applicable to any discipline, Practical Research is valuable to students planning to conduct their own research projects as well as to anyone wanting to participate in thoughtful, methodical evaluation of published research reports.