Political Science Research Methods

by Johnson, Janet Buttolph; Reynolds, H. T.

• ISBN13: 9781608716890
• ISBN10: 1608716899
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-23
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

Covering the discipline's major methods, the authors lead students step-by-step through the logic of research design. "Building block" chapters on hypothesis formation and testing, variables, and measurement are right up front; the introduction to research design, sampling, and literature reviews come with explanations as to why a researcher would pursue different kinds of methods; the stats chapters begin with a common-sense primer that walks students through foundational ideas and practices. Throughout the text, updated examples of contemporary research problems keep readers engaged. Each chapter has bolded key terms that are also listed in a glossary at the end of each chapter and the end of the text. "Helpful hints" feature boxes give students nuts-and-bolts reminders they can refer to when they conduct their own research or assess the work of others.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Empirical Approach to Political Science

Beginning the Research Process: Identifying a Topic, Developing Questions, and Reviewing the Literature

The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Hypotheses, Concepts, and Variables

The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Measurement

Research Design: Making Causal Inferences

Sampling

Making Empirical Observations: Direct and Indirect Observation

Document Analysis: Using the Written Record

Survey Research and Interviewing

Making Sense of Data: First Steps

Statistical Inference

Investigating Relationships between Two Variables

Multivariate Analysis

The Research Report: An Annotated Example

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