This page brings together the research tools and method guides I use with graduate students and advisees. Everything here is free to use. Start with the SLR Search Coach to turn a broad topic into a focused, searchable systematic review, then use its companion handouts and the deeper method guides as your project develops.
Start here: SLR Search Coach
An interactive, no-cost AI coaching prompt that walks you step by step from a vague topic to a clear problem statement, a question framework (PICO, CIMO, SPIDER, and more), a concept × synonym table, and ready-to-run Boolean search strings.
- SLR Search Coach — the interactive guide and copy-paste prompt.
Accompanying materials
The downloadable handouts that pair with the Coach:
- Combined PRISMA + Hart Search Guide — the front-end planning framework (Rationale & Objectives, then the four search phases).
- Student Toolkit — worked examples plus a fill-in worksheet.
- Question-Framework Cheat Sheet — PICO, CIMO, SPIDER, PEO, and PCC at a glance.
Research method guides
Once your search is built, these guides — curated from the research-methodology literature — help you choose a design, conduct the synthesis, and evaluate evidence. Each page ends with a downloadable PDF.
- Literature Review & Evidence Synthesis Methods — choosing your review type and conducting the synthesis.
- Research Methods for Groups & Teams — the six method families for studying groups and teams.
- Causal Inference & Research Design — methods for making and critiquing causal claims.
- Theory Building in Applied Research — locating and building your theoretical contribution.
- Research Rigor, Ethics & Open Science — standards, checklists, and transparency tools.
- Qualitative Methods Toolkit — choosing and applying qualitative approaches.