The ability to carry out research successfully has come to be seen as a ''key transferable skill'' required of all higher education students - and this book addresses directly the skill element of this. Furthermore the research process, at all levels, is far more systematized than in the past. The single largest change since the second edition came out in 1996 has been the impact of the World Wide Web on student research. This new edition has been thoroughly rewritten and developed in response to this. In particular, Chapter 4, ''Literature Searching'', is completely new and has been structured around a sample online search. Throughout, the comments and thoughts of readers of previous editions have been taken into account in framing this third edition. Its aims remain the same - to provide a clear, comprehensive and useful guide to students undertaking research projects in order to improve their chances of a successful outcome.