SAGE Research Methods contains information suited to all levels of researchers, from undergrads starting their first projects to the most senior faculty. Content includes dictionary and encyclopedia entries, book chapters, full books, journal articles, and the complete Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences (Little Green Books) and Qualitative Research Methods series (Little Blue Books). You may also have access to case studies from the SAGE Research Methods Cases collection, downloadable sample datasets from SAGE Research Methods Datasets, and streaming video from SAGE Research Methods Video.
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If you’re looking for |
Try |
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A quick explanation of a term or concept |
Dictionary or Encyclopedia entry |
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In-depth coverage of a specific aspect of a method |
Whole books (Little Green and Little Blue Books can be especially useful for method overviews) |
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In-depth coverage of a specific aspect of a method |
Book chapters that hone in on that topic |
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Actual examples of methods applied in real research contexts |
Journal articles or Cases |
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Sample datasets for hands-on practice or to use in assignments or exams |
Datasets |
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Methods in action |
Video |
Looking for an exact title or phrase
Enter your phrase in quotations marks to ensure you get an exact match: "quantitative research" will find articles and other resources containing that exact phrase.
Combining two or more terms or phrases
Use Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT to combine searches within a search box.
AND will find results containing both terms, for example education AND mathematics
OR will find results containing either term, for example education or learning. OR is useful for broadening your search.
NOT can be used to exclude certain terms, for example Java NOT Javascript.
Group terms together using brackets, for example (Angular OR Regular) AND Framework
Using wildcards
question mark (?) can represent one character: ta?k finds talk, task, tank ...
asterix (*) wildcard can represent zero or more characters: educat* finds content containing educate, educated, education ...
In the search results, icons next to the titles will tell you what type of content the entry is (Book, Book Chapter, Case, etc.). You can use the right- hand sidebar to refine your search by content type. Content can also be refined by academic disciplines
Once you’ve clicked on a piece of content from your search results, the tool menu at the top will allow you to add it to your Reading List, export the citation, download a PDF of the content, or share it via social media or email. You can print directly from your browser or from the PDF view.
The Methods Map is a visualisation illustrating how the methods terms featured on SAGE Research Methods are related. This can be a useful tool to help users find the exact method and content they’re looking for. A definition of the term appears at the top center of the screen, along with a link to access
content. Broader terms appear to the left and narrower terms to the right, so you can easily explore related concepts and content. The Methods Map can be accessed with the Research Tools link.
All SAGE Research Methods users can create free user profiles in order to save Reading Lists and search queries. The Profile button can be found in the upper right-hand corner of any page on SAGE Research Methods.All SAGE Research Methods users can create free user profiles in order to save Reading Lists and search queries.
Saved Searches
Once signed in, you can save any searches using the disc icon in the upper right-hand corner.
Reading Lists
Under Research Tools, select Reading Lists to see public lists created by other users.
To create your own Reading Lists, simply click on the “Add to My Reading Lists” link from any content or search results page. Add the name of the list in the dialog box, then hit create. You can continue adding content to the list by selecting it from the drop-down menu of your lists in the “Add to My Reading Lists” box. Reading Lists are set to public by default to encourage sharing among users, but you can make your list private to keep it for your own use. Faculty members can use the Embed feature to share a Reading List with their students on their online syllabus or course management system.
To view your Reading Lists or Saved Searches, log into your profile and click on your name in the upper right corner of the screen.
SAGE Research Methods Cases are stories of how real research projects were conducted, showing the challenges and successes of doing research, written by the researchers themselves. They explain why the researchers chose the methods they did, how they overcame problems in their research and what they might have done differently with hindsight: the realities of research that are missing from journal articles and textbooks.
If your library has access, Cases will appear alongside other content on SAGE Research Methods, or you can browse cases by method, discipline, or academic level at methods.sagepub.com/cases.
Each Case contains:
SAGE Research Methods Datasets is a collection of sample datasets and instructional guides that give students a chance to learn data analysis by practicing themselves. This bank of topical, engaging practice datasets, indexed by method and data type, are optimized to use in classroom exercises or in exam papers, saving faculty members hours spent sourcing and cleaning data themselves.
If your library has access, Datasets will appear alongside other content, or you can browse by method, discipline, or data type at methods.sagepub.com/datasets.
The download tab will allow you to download the sample data and accompanying instructional guides. Quantitative datasets are available in a number of file formats for use with various statistical software packages.
Datasets can be found by: method, discipline, or data type. Datasets are also included in the search results of Sage Research Methods.
Each content page includes:
SAGE Research Methods Video contains nearly 130 hours of video, including tutorials, case study videos, expert interviews, and more, covering the entire research methods and statistics curriculum. The videos can help to bring methods to life: instead of reading about how to conduct a focus group, users can watch one in action. Stimulate class discussions by assigning videos for pre-class viewing, or use a clip in class to provide an alternative viewpoint.
Videos can be found by: method, discipline, or data type. If your library has access, videos will appear alongside other content in searches, or you can browse by method, discipline, or video type on Sage Research Methods Video.
Videos include a running transcript, allowing for full text searching. Use the embed button in the upper right corner to add video to your course management system. You will need to be signed in to your Profile to save clips.
Watch the video overview by Sage Watch the video guide for using Using Sage to do a Literature Review Watch the video guide for using Methods Maps Creating your profile gives you the ability to organise resources by saving them to lists, and save searches to return to in the future. There are also some collection-specific benefits to creating a profile:
You can save custom video clips if you’re using
Make sure you access your SAGE Knowledge collection from your institution’s library website. You’ll usually find it via the A-Z listing of databases, or sometimes using the main search bar. You’ll usually need to enter your university credentials to log on to the database.
We recommend contacting your library at this stage if you need help
finding your institution’s listing for the database you’re looking for.
At the top-right of the platform, check that you can see either your institution’s name or logo: this confirms that you’re correctly authenticated onto the database (which means you can access all the right content). 
To the left of your institution’s name or logo, click the My Profile button. Click the Create my profile button in the middle of the pop-up window:
Complete the required fields in the form, and then click the purple Save button at the bottom of the page. You’ll know you’re logged in when you see your name at the top-right of the screen. Simply click on your name to access your lists and saved searches!
Common questions and issues
Don’t worry if you run into problems when creating your profile on SAGE Knowledge! Here are solutions to the most common issues.
You need to be correctly authenticated through your institution in order for the Create Profile button to display. Close the tab and go to your library catalogue, to find and access your chosen database that way. You should see your institution’s name or logo at the top-right of the SAGE Knowledge screen.
Contact your library if you can’t find your chosen database listed in the catalogue.
I get an error message saying ‘Invalid email address entered’.
This suggests you already have a profile registered with the email address you used. Profiles are shared with our SAGE Research Methods site, so you may have a profile there. We recommend clicking the My Profile button at the top-right of the screen, and selecting the Forgotten your password? link in the pop-up window. You can enter your email address to reset your password.
Alternatively, you can create a new profile with a different email address, by following the steps listed on the previous page.
It hasn’t worked but I don’t see an error message.
Sometimes it’s not that obvious that your profile has been created! Look at the
top-right of the screen: if you see a link showing your name, then it has worked: your profile is ready and you’re logged in! Click on your name, and then View my profile, to access your lists and searches, any time you’re on the platform.