Comprehensive, innovative, and focused on the undergraduate student, this textbook prepares students to read and conduct research. Using an engaging how-to approach that draws from scholarship, real-life, and popular culture, the book offers students practical reasons why they should care about research methods and a guide to actually conduct research themselves. Examining quantitative, qualitative, and critical research methods, the textbook helps undergraduate students better grasp the theoretical and practical uses of method by clearly illustrating practical applications. The book defines all the main research traditions, illustrates key methods used in communication research, and provides level-appropriate applications of the methods through theoretical and practical examples and exercises, including sample student papers that demonstrate research methods in action.
Composing Research, Communicating Results: Writing the Communication Research Paper provides communication students with the knowledge and necessary tools to compose a variety of course-required papers that are scholarly, accessible, and well-written. The first work of its kind to take students from brainstorming to outlining to sentence and paragraph construction to paper presentation, drawing on student-written examples Easy-to-understand explanations of passive voice, point of view, commonly accepted citation styles, and more, with current and relatable student-written examples Covers common writing assignments in communication and related courses, including the literature review, application paper, and empirical research paper Four pedagogical features enhance comprehension and support learning: “Write Away” quick exercises, integratable “Building Blocks” assignments, “Engaging Ethics” tips, and “Student Spotlight” examples
"While most books on statistics seem to be written as though targeting other statistics professors, John Reinard′s Communication Research Statistics is especially impressive because it is clearly intended for the student reader, filled with unusually clear explanations and with illustrations on the use of SPSS. I enjoyed reading this lucid, student-friendly book and expect students will benefit enormously from its content and presentation. Well done!" --John C. Pollock, The College of New Jersey Written in an accessible style using straightforward and direct language, Communication Research Statistics guides students through the statistics actually used in most empirical research undertaken in communication studies. This introductory textbook is the only work in communication that includes details on statistical analysis of data with a full set of data analysis instructions based on SPSS 12 and Excel XP. Key Features: Emphasizes basic and introductory statistical thinking: The basic needs of novice researchers and students are addressed, while underscoring the foundational elements of statistical analyses in research. Students learn how statistics are used to provide evidence for research arguments and how to evaluate such evidence for themselves. Prepares students to use statistics: Students are encouraged to use statistics as they encounter and evaluate quantitative research. The book details how statistics can be understood by developing actual skills to carry out rudimentary work. Examples are drawn from mass communication, speech communication, and communication disorders. Incorporates SPSS 12 and Excel: A distinguishing feature is the inclusion of coverage of data analysis by use of SPSS 12 and by Excel. Information on the use of major computer software is designed to let students use such tools immediately. Companion Web Site! A dedicated Web site includes a glossary, data sets, chapter summaries, additional readings, links to other useful sites, selected "calculators" for computation of related statistics, additional macros for selected statistics using Excel and SPSS, and extra chapters on multiple discriminant analysis and loglinear analysis. Intended Audience: Ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in Communication Research Statistics or Methods; also relevant for many Research Methods courses across the social sciences
Communication Research: Asking Questions, Finding Answers covers basic research issues and processes, both quantitative and qualitative, appropriate for communication students with little or no previous research methods experience. The text's guiding principle is that methodological choices are made from one's research questions or hypotheses. This avoids the pitfall in which students learn one methodology or one methodological skill and then force that method to answer all types of questions. Instead of working with one methodology to answer all types of questions, students come away understanding a variety of methods and how to apply them appropriately. Instructors and students can now access their course content through the Connect digital learning platform by purchasing either standalone Connect access or a bundle of print and Connect access. McGraw-Hill Connect® is a subscription-based learning service accessible online through your personal computer or tablet. Choose this option if your instructor will require Connect to be used in the course. Your subscription to Connect includes the following: • SmartBook® - an adaptive digital version of the course textbook that personalizes your reading experience based on how well you are learning the content. • Access to your instructor’s homework assignments, quizzes, syllabus, notes, reminders, and other important files for the course. • Progress dashboards that quickly show how you are performing on your assignments and tips for improvement. • The option to purchase (for a small fee) a print version of the book. This binder-ready, loose-leaf version includes free shipping. Complete system requirements to use Connect can be found here: http://www.mheducation.com/highered/platforms/connect/training-support-students.html
Communication Research Methods introduces students to the what, why, and how of research in the field of communication studies. In accessible terms, the authors walk readers through the theoretical and practical aspects of a research project, from making claims about topics in need of investigation to designing valid methods for collecting and analyzing data to reporting findings. The research-as-argument model at the centre of this approach emphasizes the importance of proceeding from a claim to a conclusion in a logical and straightforward manner, with particular emphasis on behaving ethically at all stages of the process. Covering an array of quantitative and qualitative methods as well as Canadian research and regulation, this comprehensive guide gives students the tools they need to evaluate and pursue communication research in Canada.
Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry teaches students the basics of communication research in an accessible manner by using student-focused real-world examples, engaging application exercises, and up-to-date resources. Donald Treadwell guides readers through the process of conducting communication research and presenting findings for different audiences, and the book emphasizes the Internet and social media as both topics of, and tools for, communication research. The Fifth Edition adds new pedagogical features, a new social media and big data section in each method chapter, coverage throughout of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and particularly in relation to reporting and presenting research, and references the latest research and data sources related to changes in communication brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Communication research is evolving and changing in a world of online journals, open-access, and new ways of obtaining data and conducting experiments via the Internet. Although there are generic encyclopedias describing basic social science research methodologies in general, until now there has been no comprehensive A-to-Z reference work exploring methods specific to communication and media studies. Our entries, authored by key figures in the field, focus on special considerations when applied specifically to communication research, accompanied by engaging examples from the literature of communication, journalism, and media studies. Entries cover every step of the research process, from the creative development of research topics and questions to literature reviews, selection of best methods (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) for analyzing research results and publishing research findings, whether in traditional media or via new media outlets. In addition to expected entries covering the basics of theories and methods traditionally used in communication research, other entries discuss important trends influencing the future of that research, including contemporary practical issues students will face in communication professions, the influences of globalization on research, use of new recording technologies in fieldwork, and the challenges and opportunities related to studying online multi-media environments. Email, texting, cellphone video, and blogging are shown not only as topics of research but also as means of collecting and analyzing data. Still other entries delve into considerations of accountability, copyright, confidentiality, data ownership and security, privacy, and other aspects of conducting an ethical research program. Features: 652 signed entries are contained in an authoritative work spanning four volumes available in choice of electronic or print formats. Although organized A-to-Z, front matter includes a Reader’s Guide grouping entries thematically to help students interested in a specific aspect of communication research to more easily locate directly related entries. Back matter includes a Chronology of the development of the field of communication research; a Resource Guide to classic books, journals, and associations; a Glossary introducing the terminology of the field; and a detailed Index. Entries conclude with References/Further Readings and Cross-References to related entries to guide students further in their research journeys. The Index, Reader’s Guide themes, and Cross-References combine to provide robust search-and-browse in the e-version.
The Routledge Handbook of Applied Communication Research provides a state-of-the-art review of communication scholarship that addresses real-world concerns, issues, and problems. This comprehensive examination of applied communication research, including its foundations, research methods employed, significant issues confronted, important contexts in which such research has been conducted, and overviews of some exemplary programs of applied communication research, shows how such research has and can make a difference in the world and in people’s lives. The sections and chapters in this Handbook: explain what constitutes applied communication scholarship, encompassing a wide range of approaches and clarifying relationships among theoretical perspectives, methodological procedures, and applied practices demonstrate the breadth and depth of applied communication scholarship review and synthesize literature about applied communication areas and topics in coherent, innovative, and pedagogically sound ways set agendas for future applied communication scholarship. Unique to this volume are chapters presenting exemplary programs of applied communication research that demonstrate the principles and practices of such scholarship, written by the scholars who conducted the programs. As an impressive benchmark in the ongoing growth and development of communication scholarship, editors Lawrence R. Frey and Kenneth N. Cissna provide an exceptional resource that will help new and experienced scholars alike to understand, appreciate, and conduct high-quality communication research that can positively affect people’s lives.
