Readings in Communication Research Methods

The book helps students understand how researchers face the numerous challenges of conducting communication research, and how they produce knowledge that adds to our theoretical understanding of communication. Students get a real sense of the many decisions made by researchers who are attempting to design and conduct research that follows the ideal steps outlined in textbooks.

The book begins with an introductory chapter that links theory to conceptualization and hypothesis development. The three subsequent chapters focus on different research methods including survey research, experimental research, and various forms of analysis. Topics include: Measurement and Sampling; Internal and External Validity; Physiological Laboratory Methods; Network, Rhetorical, Conversation, and Discourse Analysis; and Ethnography.

The insight into real-world scenarios is a direct and useful contrast to many textbooks on communication research methods that do a fine job of explaining the process and relative merits of various methods, but fail to give students a clear understanding of how the research is actually performed.

Readings in Communication Research Methods is a supplemental text for courses in Communication Research. Paired with a required textbook, it enhances students' understanding of how research methods can be successfully used in the real world. Written in a jargon-free, accessible style, the book is ideal for undergraduate students.

Jon Nussbaum earned his Ph.D. at Purdue University. He is a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. Dr. Nussbaum has served as President of the International Communication Association, and the International Society of Language and Social Psychology. He is a former editor of the Journal of Communication, and was a Fulbright Research Fellow in the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association, and a Fellow within the Adult Development and Aging Division of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Nussbaum has published extensively, with thirteen books, and over 85 journal articles and book chapters to his credit. He focuses on investigating communication behaviors and patterns across the life span including research on family, friendship, and personal relationships with well and frail older adults. In 2010 Dr. Nussbaum received the B. Aubrey Fisher mentor award.