Addressing practical issues rarely covered in methods texts, this user-friendly, jargon-free book helps students and beginning researchers plan infant and child development studies and get them done. The author provides step-by-step guidance for getting involved in a developmental laboratory and crafting effective research questions and proposals. Tips on recruiting study participants cover access issues--such as how to overcome language and cultural barriers--and include helpful sample scripts. The book offers time management strategies, pointers for organizing and communicating data, and a roadmap of the journal publication process, complete with an annotated sample article. Numerous concrete examples, checklists, worksheets, and exercises are featured. Reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8½" x 11" size. Contents include: (1) Selecting a Laboratory; (2) Your First Days and Weeks in the Laboratory; (3) Time Management 4. Developing Your Ideas and Immersing Yourself in the Culture of Research; (5) Developing Your Research Question and Proposal; (6) Recruitment and Access; (7) Organizing and Planning Your Research; (8) Strategies for Statistics; (9) Planning to Write Up Your Research; (10) Selecting a Journal and Establishing Authorship; and (11) Communicating Your Research. An index and a section about the author is included.