ABSTRACT
This chapter is written for the semi-reluctant practice-based researchers who are working without the aid of academic researchers, and is intended to be received as a how-to guide. Most of what has been written on the topic of practice-based research are two lines of conflicting thoughts: (1) it is difficult to get practice-based research published and; (2) don't worry about the scientific aspects of research design when in a practice-based setting—unfortunately, the second statement tends to drive the first statement. As most potential practice-based researchers are not academic researchers, overly complex research designs are impractical. This chapter takes the middle path of highlighting the key principles of research design/methods, talking about practicality and barriers to practice-based research methods, and presenting workable solutions and options depending on the goals of the practice-based researcher (i.e., improving local care vs publishing). The flow of the chapter is a brief overview and examples of practice-based research, key principles, and then a step-by-step how-to guide that incorporates recent technological advances.
