The Essentials of Political Analysis

Political science students need to get comfortable using the tools of political analysis. For stats-phobic undergrads, the research methods course need not need be nerve wracking, especially with Pollock#x19;s bestselling text to help them along the way. His brief, accessible guide walks students through the basics-measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables-while using key terms, chapter-opening objectives, 80 tables and figures, and class-tested exercises to get them using and applying their new skills. The new fourth edition features enhanced treatment of research design and logic controlled comparison and illustrates complex relationships with more accessible examples. A completely revised rubric further helps students identify these complex relationships in their own research.

Philip H. Pollock III is professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. He has taught courses in research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than thirty years. His main research interests are American public opinion, voting behavior, techniques of quantitative analysis, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His recent research has been on the effectiveness of Internet-based instruction. Pollock's research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Social Science Quarterly, and the British Journal of Political Science. Recent scholarly publications include articles in Political Research Quarterly, the Journal of Political Science Education, and PS: Political Science and Politics.