There are several stories about a real person, Nasreddin Hoca (pronounced Hodja), who was born
in 1208 in the western part of Central Anatolia in Turkey. Hoca served as a judge, and his sense of
fairness and wisdom soon made him a legend, not only in Turkey but also in neighbouring countries
such as Greece, Syria and Bulgaria. One of these stories is the starting point of this ‘research
journey’ that we will share with you.
One day, a neighbour of Hoca came to him with a complaint against another. Hoca listened to
the charges carefully and then concluded, ‘Yes, dear neighbour, I believe you are quite right.’ The
other neighbour then came to him. Hoca listened to his defence carefully and then concluded, ‘Yes,
dear neighbour, I believe you are quite right.’ Hoca’s wife, having listened to the entire proceeding,
said to him, ‘Husband, they cannot both be right!’ Hoca turned to her and said, ‘Yes, wife,
I believe you are quite right too!!!’
The message behind this story is that sometimes there is no right or wrong way of doing things;
there might be more than one way. There is always an alternative means – some other idea or belief –
that may also be right! What is important is how you justify what you do and how you do it, and
this is where this book will help. One of its main foci is to offer a balanced approach regarding the
theory and practice of research methods, so that you will be equipped with the knowledge and the
skills necessary to perform research and justify your approach to it. We have used a straightforward
style to present and explain concepts and ideas employed by hospitality and tourism
researchers, using real-life examples, and to emphasize the skills that you, as an under- or
post-graduate researcher, will need to carry out your research projects, whether for coursework,
consultancy or dissertation. In particular, the book offers guidance on planning a research project
in hospitality and tourism by considering the specific characteristics of this industry, including the
international dimension and the implications this may have regarding the research process.
We have tried to structure the book in a staged approach, both to help you to understand the
basics of research and also to develop your own way of thinking, be able to justify this thinking,
and appreciate that there are other, equally valid, means of approaching your research topic. In
Chapter 1 we explain why we, as academics, do research, but also why it is important that you do
the same during your studies in higher education. We help you to find ways of developing reasoning
for undertaking research on a particular topic, and articulate the research questions that will
guide your research journey.
Chapters 2 and 3 are aimed at providing the skills you will need to cope with academic reading,
and a strategy to approach literature review in a manner that will be meaningful in building a
strong theoretical foundation for your research project.
In Chapter 4 we introduce you to the more conceptual elements of research by presenting different
philosophies, approaches and strategies that you may choose to adopt in your project.
Chapters 5, 6 and 7 concern the more technical parts of research, providing guidance regarding
who you get your information from, how to obtain it, and how to prepare a research proposal that
will convince your supervisor or your institution’s research committee that you are able to undertake
an academically rigorous research.
Chapter 8 discusses undertaking fieldwork – i.e. ‘getting out there’ and doing your research.
The chapter aims to equip you with some strategies to deal with the real world and cope with
adversity Chapters 9 and 10 are aimed at providing you with the basic skills required for
data analysis, by introducing different approaches and techniques to perform this
task. These chapters offer several examples that will help you to understand and
practise these techniques before actually applying them in your own project.
Finally, Chapter 11 offers advice on writing up your project following a generally
accepted structure, but also on how you can turn a successful project into a publishable
academic article.