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In this second installment of the themed issue on redesigning research methods coursework for CPED-inspired EdD programs, EdD faculty and students share empirical research, conceptual insights, and practitioner-oriented coursework and activities to contribute to the conversation on research methods training and skill development for scholar-practitioners.

Ongoing efforts to distinguish the EdD from the PhD as a professional practice doctorate have important implications for how research methodology courses are designed, sequenced, and taught in CPED-inspired EdD programs. Currently, there is much debate and little consensus as to what the purpose and outcomes of these courses should be and how the courses might differ from traditional doctoral-level methods preparation. In this first installment of the themed issue on redesigning research methods for CPED-inspired EdD programs, EdD faculty and students share their current redesign work and experiences implementing revised methodology courses as part of larger, practitioner-oriented program revisions.

Background Knowledge of statistics is highly important for research scholars, as they are expected to submit a thesis based on original research as part of a PhD program. As statistics play a major role in the analysis and interpretation of scientific data, intensive training at the beginning of a PhD programme is essential. PhD coursework is mandatory in universities and higher education institutes in India. This study aimed to compare the scores of knowledge in statistics and attitudes towards statistics among the research scholars of an institute of medical higher education in South India at different time points of their PhD (i.e., before, soon after and 2–3 years after the coursework) to determine whether intensive training programs such as PhD coursework can change their knowledge or attitudes toward statistics. Methods One hundred and thirty research scholars who had completed PhD coursework in the last three years were invited by e-mail to be part of the study. Knowledge and attitudes toward statistics before and soon after the coursework were already assessed as part of the coursework module. Knowledge and attitudes towards statistics 2–3 years after the coursework were assessed using Google forms. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was also sought. Results Knowledge and attitude scores improved significantly subsequent to the coursework (i.e., soon after, percentage of change: 77%, 43% respectively). However, there was significant reduction in knowledge and attitude scores 2–3 years after coursework compared to the scores soon after coursework; knowledge and attitude scores have decreased by 10%, 37% respectively. Conclusion The study concluded that the coursework program was beneficial for improving research scholars’ knowledge and attitudes toward statistics. A refresher program 2–3 years after the coursework would greatly benefit the research scholars. Statistics educators must be empathetic to understanding scholars’ anxiety and attitudes toward statistics and its influence on learning outcomes.

Now in its second edition, this internationally best-selling book has been revised and updated. It focuses on helping people overcome some of the most common obstacles to successful publication. Lack of time? An unconscious fear of rejection? Conflicting priorities? In this, the first book to address the subject, Abby Day explains how to overcome these obstacles and create publishable papers for journals most likely to publish them. She shows how to identify a suitable journal and how to plan, prepare and compile a paper that will satisfy its requirements. She pays particular attention to the creative aspects of the process. As an experienced journal editor and publisher, Dr Day is well placed to reveal the inside workings of the reviewing procedure - and the more fully you understand this, the greater the chance that what you submit will be accepted and published. For academic and research staff, in whatever discipline, a careful study of Dr Day's book could be your first step on the road to publication. Contents: Preface. Part One Setting Your Objectives: Introduction; Why publish?; Why not publish?; A sense of purpose; So what?; Making sense of the literature. Part Two Knowing Your Audience: Who are the editors and reviewers?; Through the reader's eyes; Targeting journals. Part Three From Draft to Print: Seven days to a finished paper; Writing the draft; Points of style; Managing the process; Keeping it going. References; Index. Abby Day is the author and co-author of several books about publishing and funding and her 'How to Get Published' workshops are popular events in colleges and universities worldwide. With an MA and PhD in the sociology of religion, she also pursues her own research and publishing in that discipline. She is a Trustee of the British Sociological Association with responsibility for its publishing portfolio.

Research in education, as in other filed is a search for the truth; rather for better understandings of educational process. Knowledge acquired through research is of highest order. Educational research can no longer be considered to be in infancy. It has undergone nurturing during the last six decade, since the first thesis accepted in Bombay University. But in spite of this it has not been able to make strong impact on the education system. There is a strong case for looking afresh at the programme and practices of education research. The paper throws light on the quality concern issues in educational research and the measures taken by UGC through regulation for standard and procedure for standard and procedure for the award of Ph.D programmes. The paper overhauls the UGC initiative to counter quality concern, which came into effect in gazette (11th July, 2009) but many universities and institutions are not implementing the same. They are still doing the doctoral registration through the older rules and earlier procedure. The UGC recommendation of Pre-Ph.D. coursework of one semester before the commencement of the doctoral work will certainly help to improve the quality of educational research. But UGC offer just the guideline of coursework not the whole conceptual framework, which is left on individual university. The result in Pre-Ph.D. coursework in not being carried out in the same spirit, as it was meant for. A systematic and robust procedure for the educational research is the need of the hours. The paper suggest a frame work for making Pre-Ph.D. course work as a part and parcel of Ph.D. programme. The 11th five year plan has stated expansion, inclusion and quality as the three cornerstones of our national goal of education. In this regard UGC, initiative to counter quality issues in research is rather a laudable job, with the only condition that it should be followed in the same spirit too.

The formal structure of most Australasian marketing doctoral programs is still thesis-only. This Commentary presents the perspective that this structure is not ideal for today's academic environment. We argue for the importance of coursework in a doctoral student's education. The argument should be relevant to all thesis-only social science and business doctoral programs, but our focus is on the case of marketing in Australasia. Students having coursework may develop stronger research skills than thesis-only students, thus thesis-only students would generally be at a disadvantage in terms of achieving publication in higher-ranking international journals. Coursework clearly helps to broaden and deepen a student's knowledge of research methods, but it also helps with the subtle and tacit skills of judging research quality.