EA Books

Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students
S.G. Naoum
2007, ISBN: 0750682647, 209pp, $61.50

This is a title from UK sources: the author is from a department of surveying, property and construction at London South Bank University. It is the second edition of what must be judged a very successful title. It has been reprinted nine times since first publication in 1998.

The scope of the subject matter is closely tied to the regulations that apply to the B.Sc and M.Sc degrees offered at the author’s institution.

The material is divided into three Parts, of two, three and four chapters respectively. There are ten chapters in all, plus five appendices. Part One discusses literature review methodology. There are some useful observations, though much of the content is subject-specific. Part Two is the core of the book: it is titled Research design and methodology. The only research tools discussed are the use of questionaires and personal interviews. I have no experience of the use of such methods as research tools. My comment is though that this is a very limiting choice. Part Three on analysis and presentation of results has some useful observations and advice to offer the reader.

My overall impression is that the reader is being lead along a path of observation and recording the workings of a very important industry, without too many, or even any, side glances. There is a degree of repetition of stock phrases and other elements in the presentation that I found distracting. In earlier times some of what is written might have been construed as ‘spoon feeding’. This feeling comes to a head in the brief, concluding chapter on supervision and assessment.

The Index is worth studying. There are about 600 items listed. But topics such as Innovation, New-anything, Future prospects etc are not there. The construction industry, world-wide, is in need of constant monitoring and renewal. But other titles will have to be consulted to further these aims.

Reviewed by Peter Lowe, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Auckland and an Honorary Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney.

Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students  is available from EA Books, http://www.engineersmedia.com.au/bookshop