Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry

by Donald Treadwell

Overview

Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, Fifth Edition teaches the basics of communication research in an accessible manner with real-world examples, engaging application exercises, and up-to-date resources. Bringing the book fully up-to-date, author Donald Treadwell adds coverage of social media and big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and changes in communication brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071886632
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	03/06/2024
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Donald Treadwell earned his master’s degree in communication from Cornell University and his

Ph D in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

He developed and taught communication research classes in classroom and online settings

and also taught courses in organizational communication, public relations, and public relations

writing. He is the coauthor of Public Relations Writing: Principles in Practice (2nd ed., Sage,

2005).

He has published and presented research on organizational image, consumer response to

college names, health professionals’ images of AIDS, faculty perceptions of the communication

discipline, and employers’ expectations of newly hired communication graduates. His research

appears in Communication Monographs, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Public

Relations Review, Journal of Human Subjectivity, and Criminal Justice Ethics.

He is professor emeritus, Westfield State University, and has international consulting experience

in agricultural extension and health communication.

Table of Contents

Preface
For Students
For Faculty
Acknowledgements
Prologue: Welcome to Communication Research: Finding your Path
Comments on a Conversation
Questions About Communication
Questions About Communication Research
Generalizations About Communication Research
Closing Thought
1. Getting Started: Possibilities and Decisions
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Some Research Possibilities: What Can We Do With an Ad
A Series of Unavoidable Decisions
Problem Posing, Problem Solving, Peer Persuasion
Ethics Panel: A Health Communication Dilemma
Chapter Summary
Research Example: Three Views of Pharmaceutical Advertising
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
2. First Decisions: What, Why, How?
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Starting With The "What" Question: Ideas and Observations
Starting With The "Why" Question: Goals and Values
Starting With The "How" Question: Methods And Epistemologies
Starting With A World View: Basic Beliefs
Starting With The Work Of Others
Firming Up Questions
Questioning the Questions
Starting With No Questions
Ethics Panel: Do Some Research Methods Require More Ethical Decisions Than Others?
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
3. Ethics: Your Responsiblities as a Researcher
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Some Ethical Decisions
Issues in Commmunication Research
Some Classic Ethical Positions
Contemporary Codes of Ethics
Regulations
Peer Review and Institutional Review Boards
What Should I Call You? The Ethics of Involvement
Ethics Panel: Tainted Data and Deception
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Viewing
Recommended Web Resources
References
4. Reading Research: To Boldly Go Where Others Have Gone Before
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Library Research: Why Bother?
Finding Relevance: Finding Quality
Databases Versus Search Engines
Scholarly, Popular and Trade Publications
How Will I Know a Scholarly Article When I See One?
Primary Versus Secondary Sources
The Champagne Model Of Bibliographic Research
How Can The Library Of Congress Help My Literature Search?
Other Resources
How To Be Skeptical About Information, Especially Web Information
Mr Boole and The Three Bears
Saving Your Search Results
Writing Your Search Results: The Literature Review
APA(American Psychological Association) Style
Ethics Panel: Politics And Publication
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
5. Measurement: Research Using Numbers
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
What Do Your Head Size, Attitudes And Readability Have In Common?
An Introduction To Scales
Research Noir
To Noir Is Not Enough: Reliability And Validity
Reliability
Validity
Two Common Measurement Scales
Ethics Panel: The Ethics Of Measurement Scales
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
References
6. Statistics: Analyzing Your Numbers
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
Describing Data: Descriptive Statistics
Z-Score: The Apples And Oranges Statistic
Generalizing From Data: Inferential Statistics
Confidence Level and Sample Size
Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariate Statistics
Testing For Differences and Relationships
Ethics Panel: A Communicative Tension
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
7. Sampling: Who, What and How Many?
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
Non-Probability Sampling
Probability Sampling
How Big A Sample Do I Need?
Method and Method Issues In Sampling
Ethics Panel: Checking The Ethics Of Survey Research
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
8. Surveys: Putting Numbers on Opinions
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys
Types Of Surveys
Writing Questions
Question Formats
Survey Wording
Advantages and Disadvantages of Specific Survey Methods
Improving Survey Response Rates
Capturing and Processing Survey Data
Using Other People's Surveys
Ethics Panel: Clients and Methods As Ethical Decisions
Research In Practice: Using Telephone Surveys To Assess The Image Of A Hospital
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
9. Experiments: Researching Cause and Effect
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages Of Experiments
Causality
Field Experiments and Ex Post Facto Designs
Basic Experimental Design
Designing For Control
Designing For Random Assignment
Time Series Analysis
Factorial Designs
Between Subjects and Within Subjects Design
Validity and Experimental Design
Ethics Panel: Two Famous and Controversial Experiments
Research In Practice: After-School Time Activities
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
10. Observation: Watching and Listening for In-Depth Understanding
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Watching and Listening
Getting Started
Basic Researcher-Participant Relationships
Interviews
Focus Groups
Unobtrusive Watching
Other Methods
Making Sense Of Qualitative Data
Ethics Panel: In Which a Professor Becomes a Student
Research In Practice: Promoting Clean Energy
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
11. Content Analysis: Understanding Text and Image
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction: Advantages and Disadvantages of Content Analysis
An Exercise In Content Analysis
Interaction Analysis
Conversation Analysis
Rhetorical and Dramatistic Analyses
Semiotics
Narrative, Discourse and Critical Analyses
Ethics Panel: Could Analyzing Media Content Result In Harm?
Research In Practice: Reaching Out To Hispanics Living With Paralysis
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
12. Writing Research: Sharing Your Results
Chapter Overview
Starter Questions
Introduction
The Writing Process
Writing For Scholarly Publics: The Importance of Style
Presenting For Scholarly Publics: Papers and Panels
Writing For Other Publics: Interest Groups and News Media
Professor Tom Writes a Checklist
The Ethics Of Style And Accuracy
Ethics Panel: Balancing Between Scholarly and Popular Writing
Research in Practice: An Analysis of Online Press Rooms in Leading
Companies Around the World
Chapter Summary
Recommended Reading
Recommended Web Resources
References
Glossary

Editorial Reviews

“I applaud the author’s goal of pro­viding a research textbook in a 'friendly' length and size that links research methods to various communication professions… I believe it will make a valuable contribution that is needed by faculty at smaller schools who are preparing students to enter the job market rather than graduate school.”

J. Drew Mc Gukin

I like Treadwell’s book because its layout, language, topics, chapter lengths and its emphasis on pre-dominantly quantitative social scientific methods. I also like the supplementary readings, recommended Web resources, references, and study sites at the end of each chapter.”

Kenneth Yang

"Focusing on the types of research most practitioners will use in the workplace, Donald Treadwell makes continuous connections between research and its real world application. The book is written in language that is accessible to undergraduates and the information is clearly and simply presented.”

Berrin A. Beasley

The examples are engaging. The writing is not intimidating. The student will find this introduction to the research process to be welcoming and interesting. The greatest strength of this text is its accessibility to the student new to research. Professor Treadwell makes communication research an interesting, non-threatening subject. This book offers enough information to get them started and makes the field interesting and, more importantly, an area that students could see themselves participating in as professionals, rather than just suffering through for a semester.”

Barbara S. Spies

"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

"This book presents research as something we do everyday. Rooting methods in the 'real world’ will help students grasp the information and then apply it to situations they find themselves in.

Jeff Shires

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

Patricia Atkinson

"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

“I applaud the author’s goal of pro­viding a research textbook in a 'friendly' length and size that links research methods to various communication professions… I believe it will make a valuable contribution that is needed by faculty at smaller schools who are preparing students to enter the job market rather than graduate school.”

J. Drew McGukin