Policy Press

Helen Kara

Helen Kara is a leading independent researcher, author, teacher and speaker specialising in research methods, particularly creative methods, and research ethics. With over twenty years’ experience as an independent researcher Helen now teaches doctoral students and staff at higher education institutions worldwide. She is a prolific academic author with over 25 titles and 1000 citations; notably Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide and Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners, both in their second editions. Besides her regular blogs and videos, she also writes comics and fiction. Helen is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2021, at the age of 56, she was diagnosed autistic. Her neurodivergence explains her lifelong fascination with, and ability to focus on, words, language and writing.
Showing 1-12 of 14 items.

Managing the Research Process

A Time-Saving Guide

In reality, people need to fit research in with all their other commitments. This e-book is full of practical hints and tips to show you how to manage research alongside work, family, and social life.

Policy Press

Collecting Primary Data

A Time-Saving Guide

Data collection is often the first thing people think of in connection with research. This e-book outlines some of the key issues and offers lots of short-cuts to save you time and stress.

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Analysing Data

A Time-Saving Guide

When you've collected all your data, what do you do next? Whether it's qualitative or quantitative, this e-book explains how to prepare, code, and analyse your data. The book offers clear guidance to help you turn a morass of raw data into cogent findings.

Policy Press

Writing for Research

A Time-Saving Guide

Writing is more difficult than it seems. This e-book will get you started and keep you going. It demystifies the craft of writing, and offers lots of tips and ideas to make writing manageable.

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Research Ethics in the Real World

Euro-Western and Indigenous Perspectives

Research Ethics in the Real World highlights the links between research ethics and individual, social, professional, institutional, and political ethics. Helen Kara considers all stages of the research process and provides guidance for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods researchers about how to act ethically throughout.

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Creative Research Methods

A Practical Guide

Written in an accessible, practical and jargon-free style, this useful book informs and inspires researchers by showing readers why, when, and how to use creative methods in their research.

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Researching in the Age of COVID-19

Volume I: Response and Reassessment

Edited by Helen Kara and Su-Ming Khoo

Part of a series of three, this book showcases new research methods and emerging approaches. Focusing on Response and Reassessment, it has three parts: the first looks at the turn to digital methods; the second reviews methods in hand and the final part reassesses different needs and capabilities.

Policy Press

Researching in the Age of COVID-19

Volume III: Creativity and Ethics

Edited by Helen Kara and Su-Ming Khoo

Part of a series of three, this book explores dimensions of creativity and ethics. It has three parts: the first covers creative approaches to researching. The second considers concerns around research ethics and ethics more generally, and the final part addresses different ways of approaching creativity and ethics through collaboration.

Policy Press

Researching in the Age of COVID-19

Volume II: Care and Resilience

Edited by Helen Kara and Su-Ming Khoo

Part of a series of three, this book connects themes of care and resilience, addressing their common concern with wellbeing. It has three parts: addressing researchers’ wellbeing, considering participants’ wellbeing, and exploring care and resilience as a shared and mutually entangled concern.

Policy Press

Creative Writing for Social Research

A Practical Guide

Inviting beginners and more experienced researchers to explore new ways of writing, this book introduces readers to creatively written research in a variety of formats including plays and poems, videos and comics. It not only gives social researchers permission, but also shows them how, to write creatively.

Policy Press

Creative Research Methods in Education

Principles and Practices

Co-authored by an international team of experts across disciplines, this important book is one of the first to demonstrate the enormous benefit creative methods offer for education research. It illustrates how using creative methods, such as poetic inquiry, theatre and animation, can support learning and illuminate participation and engagement.

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Qualitative and Digital Research in Times of Crisis

Methods, Reflexivity, and Ethics

Edited by Helen Kara and Su-Ming Khoo

Including contributions on qualitative and digital research from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas, this volume explores the creative and thoughtful ways in which researchers have adapted methods and rethought relationships in response to challenges arising from crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, disasters or violent conflict.

Policy Press