Blog - Sage Research Methods Community

Beatriz Figueroa, author of Avoiding Plagiarism, explores how plagiarism has evolved - from copy-and-paste to misrepresentation across text and GenAI. The new edition reflects this shift, with a modern rethink focused on ownership, attribution and trust.

A persistent challenge in qualitative research is synthesis. When you are working with large volumes of text (interviews, field reports, narrative accounts) across multiple countries and time periods, how do you move systematically from individual accounts to broader patterns? And how do you do so without flattening the complexity that makes qualitative data valuable in the first place? Thi…

Two defining directions shaping emerging trends in research methods are the rapid incorporation of digital research methods and the growing emphasis on inclusive research methodologies. The first accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second reflects a longstanding effort to diversify perspectives, challenge dominant paradigms, and enable participation from marginalised communitie…

The Sage Research Methods editorial team is pleased to announce that we are now accepting proposals for our next collection, Using AI for Research. This collection will provide social and behavioural science researchers and students with urgently needed clear, critical, practical guidance for using AI across the research lifecycle.

In the next few weeks and months, students will be completing final year research projects as part of their degree programme. For many, this is a highly weighted assessment and the longest piece of academic writing they have undertaken to date. These projects are not only substantial in length; they are also deeply personal. As a result, the final stages of the research process are often acc…

We are proud to announce that the Research Integrity Collection is now complete! In our recent webinar, we explored the value, purpose practical implementation of the collection to serve your entire research community.

Sage Research Methods continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of researchers, educators, and students worldwide. We’re pleased to share that our latest updates are now live, bringing fresh resources, new perspectives, and expanded methodological coverage across the resource.

Sage Research Methods continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of researchers, educators, and students worldwide. We’re pleased to share that our latest updates are now live, bringing fresh resources, new perspectives, and expanded methodological coverage across the resource. These updates are designed to help users stay current, work more inclusively and ethically, and confidently nav…

You are teaching a methods course in Politics and International Relations. Perhaps it is a course that has ‘research methods’ in the title. Perhaps the final assignment for your course is a research project. Perhaps you are convening a dissertation module. What challenges do you expect?

Looking for fresh ways to enrich your methods curriculum? Dive into Sage’s new Research Methods Resources Hub for free resources that harness insights from our leading authors, and introduce strategies to improve research teaching, learning and practice.

Professor Matthew Campbell explores how research integrity is shaped through everyday leadership decisions and highlights three key leadership levers that strengthen and influence research culture.

To mark International Mentorship Month, Audrey J. Murrell, Ph.D. — lead advisor of the Epigeum’s upcoming ‘Mastering Mentoring’ program — explores the impact of mentoring and how intentional, well‑supported approaches can be beneficial for learning.

In this guest post, Kyra van Weenen, Commissioning Editor for Sage Research Methods explores the unique concept behind Sage’s flagship Research Methods Case Studies, and how they support researchers and students in conducting their own research.

You’ve probably heard it before: “Never cite Wikipedia in your research paper.” And it’s good advice. But maybe you haven’t heard about how using Wikipedia (especially its citations) actually strengthens your work and even helps others discover it later. And this post is all about that!

With 2025 ending, you may be thinking about reviewing your research progress and preparing for the upcoming year. If you don’t know where to start, here are some suggestions on organizing your work and planning for 2026.

Whether you’re tackling a systematic review for your own research project, or supporting students, this recent Sage Campus webinar is an essential watch. Dr Gemma Cherry and Dr Michelle Maden, co-authors of Doing a Systematic Review: A Student’s Guide, break down the rigorous process into 10 clear, manageable steps. You’ll learn the difference between systematic and scoping reviews, the cri…

Rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence have instigated introspection across the data visualisation field. Though swathes of AI discourse are characterised by hype and gimmickry, if you cut through the noise, it’s clear we are facing a significant new era of technological progress. It’s time to evolve, or die, as the saying goes. But what should our relationship with AI be, particularl…

Publishing your research Open Access (OA) ensures that it reaches the widest possible audience — freely and immediately. This guide walks you through what OA means, its key benefits, and how Sage’s flexible publishing options help researchers share their work responsibly, increase visibility, and meet funder or institutional requirements.

We’re excited to share that Research Methods - part of the 'Research Skills Toolkit' - has been updated to reflect today’s research landscape. Discover brand new content on Gen AI, Data Literacy and more – designed to support researchers with the skills they need in their careers.

In this guest post, Sage author Carol Rivas explores the current AI capabilities for researching society and culture.