Core training requirements
If you are successful in your application for a 1+3 studentship, LISS DTP will work with you to ensure that you receive adequate core methods training as stipulated by the ESRC. You can find detailed information on what will be expected here, but generally this training would include: research design, literature review and bibliographic methods, qualitative methods, quantitative methods and social theory. Each of these areas is broken down to give example methodologies for each below. This training would be undertaken during your Masters year or in your first year of doctoral study. If you are successful in your application for a +3 studentship, but do not have core level training (generally seen as Masters level) to ESRC standards, LISS DTP will work with you to arrange any necessary training in your first year of doctoral study (or second year if you are part-time). You will have access to a range of Masters level programmes run at our three institutions and LISS DTP’s own doctoral level training programme to cover your additional training needs.
Deciding whether to apply for a 1+3 or +3 studentship
If you feel that you cannot demonstrate on your application form that you have covered at least 75% of the key social science perspectives and methods at Masters level as listed below, please discuss the options with your proposed supervisor. It is likely that you will need to a apply for a 1+3 programme, selecting one of the Masters programmes at LISS institutions which meet the ESRC’s Core Training Requirements. These programmes are listed on the Pathways pages. You can also see an alphabetical list of courses on the Approved Masters Course page.
It is impossible to provide an exhaustive list of social science perspectives and methods, but core training should cover a significant proportion of methods such as the following:
Research design in the social sciences
including a conceptual understanding of how to formulate research questions using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods and understanding the concepts of theory/evidence links, generalisability, validity, reliability and replicability.
Data collection, management and dissemination
in ways that are consistent with both professional practice and principles of research ethics.
Social theory & epistemology
positivism, experimental approaches, interpretivisim, feminism, postcolonial critique, Marxism, poststructuralism, ethnography, ethno-methodology, case study analysis, policy oriented and action research, mixed methods.
Qualitative methods
archival methods, e-resources & social media, auto/biography, interviews, focus groups, participant observation, content analysis, narrative methods, visual methods, discourse analysis, conversation analysis
Quantitative methods
quantitative research design, sampling, questionnaire design, descriptive statistics, probability, data manipulation and handling, non-parametric statistics, basic inferential statistics, analysis of variance, linear regression with continuous DV