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Introducing Communication Research
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Introducing Communication Research
Paths of Inquiry

Fifth Edition


July 2024 | 344 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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 a diversity of 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.

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Chapter 1: Foundations: The Ideas That Shape Our Research
Chapter Overview

 
Getting Started in Research: Assumptions and Decisions

 
Starting With Basic Beliefs and Perspectives

 
General Questions Behind Communication Research

 
Looking Ahead: Web Worlds, Fuzzy Boundaries and Artificial Intelligence

 
Examples and Insights: “Better Than Sex”

 
 
Chapter 2: Getting Started: From Inspiration to Implementation
Chapter Overview

 
The Relationship Between Theory and Observations

 
Starting With a Model or Theory

 
Starting With “5W+H” Questions

 
Starting With a Focus

 
Operationalizing Constructs

 
Starting With a Purpose

 
Starting With the Work of Others

 
The Unavoidable Decisions

 
Examples and Insights: Facing a Meta/Facebook Furor With Further Findings

 
 
Chapter 3: Ethics: Our Responsibilities as Researchers
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Some Ethical Decisions

 
Ethics Issues in Communication Research

 
Some Classic Ethical Positions

 
Two Brief Histories—or Why We Care About Research Ethics

 
Contemporary Codes of Ethics

 
Regulations

 
Peer Review and Institutional Review Boards

 
What Should I Call You? The Ethics of Involvement

 
The Internet and Research Ethics

 
Informed Consent and Debriefing on the Internet

 
Examples and Insights: Making Consent Forms Shorter

 
 
Chapter 4: Resources: Reading, Recording, and Reviewing Research
Chapter Overview

 
Library Research: Why Bother?

 
Finding Relevance

 
Finding Quality

 
Search Strategies and Techniques

 
The Literature Review: Writing Your Search Results

 
Examples and Insights: Predatory Journals

 
 
Chapter 5: Measurement: Research Using Numbers
Chapter Overview

 
What Do Your Head Size, Attitudes, and Readability Have in Common?

 
Research NOIR

 
To NOIR Is Not Enough: Reliability and Validity

 
Two Common Measurement Scales

 
Communication Research Measures as a Work in Progress

 
Examples and Insights: Off-the-Shelf Communication Research Measures

 
Social Media, Big Data, and Measurement

 
 
Chapter 6: Sampling: Who, What, and How Many?
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction

 
Nonprobability Sampling

 
Probability Sampling

 
How Big Does My Sample Have to Be?

 
Selecting a Sampling Frame

 
Special Population Sampling

 
The Future of Sampling

 
Examples and Insights: Student Participation

 
Social Media, Big Data, and Sampling

 
 
Chapter 7: Statistics: Choosing and Using Quantitative Tools
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction

 
But First—Data Cleanup and Categorization

 
Describing Data: Descriptive Statistics

 
Inferential Statistics

 
Assessing Results

 
Accept or Reject My Findings?

 
Examples and Insights: Evaluating Quantitative Studies

 
Big Data: Analysis

 
 
Chapter 8: Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys

 
Types Of Surveys

 
Survey Methods

 
Writing, Introducing, and Formatting Survey Questions

 
Survey Wording: “If It Can Be Misinterpreted, It Will Be”

 
Web and Mobile Survey Design

 
Improving Survey Response Rates

 
Using Other People’s Surveys

 
Examples and Insights: Assessing Survey Credibility

 
Big Data and Surveys

 
 
Chapter 9: Experiments: Researching Cause and Effect
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Experiments

 
Field Experiments and Ex Post Facto Designs

 
Designing for Control

 
Factorial Designs

 
Between-Subjects and Within-Subjects Design

 
Time Series Analysis

 
Validity and Experimental Design

 
Examples and Insights: Researching Selfies

 
Big Data and Online Experiments

 
Experiments Revisited

 
 
Chapter 10: Content Analysis I: Quantitative Understanding of Words and Images
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Content Analysis

 
A Basic Content Analysis

 
Content Analysis of Human Interaction

 
Coding and Latent Content

 
Content Analysis as Quantitative and Qualitative

 
Computer Analysis of Content

 
Examples and Insights: Predictions From Social Media

 
Big Data and Content Analysis

 
Getting Started

 
 
Chapter 11: Content Analysis II: Qualitative Understandings of Words and Images
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Analyses of Content

 
Rhetorical Analyses

 
Narrative, Fantasy, Discourse, and Conversation Analyses

 
Semiotics and Metaphor

 
Critical Analyses

 
Visual Rhetorical Analyses

 
Examples and Insights: Qualitative Content Analysis and Qualitative Content Analysis

 
Social Media, Big Data, and Multimodal Analysis

 
 
Chapter 12: Observation: Qualitative Understandings of Behaviors and Attitudes
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Methods

 
Qualitative and Quantitative: Similarities and Differences

 
Researcher–Participant Relationships

 
Watching and Listening Methods

 
Making Sense of Qualitative Data

 
Examples and Insights: Reflexivity and Social Media Research

 
Social Media, Big Data, and Qualitative Research

 
 
Chapter 13: Now What? Reporting and Presenting Research Results
Chapter Overview

 
Introduction

 
The Publics of Research

 
The Voices of Research

 
Disseminating Research Findings

 
Visualizing Research Results

 
Examples and Insights: Researching the Impact of Presentation Media and Audience Interaction

 
Social Media, Big Data, Visualization, and Artificial Intelligence

 

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Praise for the previous edition:

"Introducing Communication Research is the one-stop shop for teaching communication research. It covers every fundamental an undergraduate or graduate student needs to know in a remarkably accessible style."

Sandra Duhé
Southern Methodist University

"This text is distinct in that it makes a large, complex topic very easy to break down for students of all abilities!"

Patricia Atkinson
Marist College