ABSTRACT
The perspective upon research that appears in this chapter is quite different to those which follow in the rest of the book. Without focussing explicitly on the issues regarding researching ‘difference’, this chapter offers a more indiscriminate view of research in a sporting context. In this chapter we provide an overview of the research process. Each stage of the research cycle is included in a way which will help the reader come to grips with the fundamentals of research design and the key terms which relate. While highlighting the many ways in which researchers might actually follow their own paths through such a journey, we provide the reader with a guide to the research process which they can interpret in the context of their own studies.
