Subject Guides

Research methods

Books, journal articles, videos and websites about research design and methods including audience studies, content analysis, discourse analysis, focus groups, narrative analysis, surveys and meta-analysis. (Created January, 2008) (To find additional resources, see subject headings at the bottom of this page.)

Last update 08/12/2009

HANDBOOKS AND OVERVIEWS

Quantitative research in communication
by Allen, Mike; Titsworth, Scott; Hunt, Stephen K.
(Sage, 2009)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 93.7 .A44 2009

Handbook of the arts in qualitative research : perspectives, methodologies, examples, and issues
by Knowles, J. Gary; Cole, Ardra L.
(Sage 2008)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 62 .K6275 2008

Qualitative inquiry & research design : choosing among five approaches
by Creswell, John W.
(Sage Publications, 2007)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 61 .C735 2007

Mass media research : an introduction
by Wimmer, Roger D.; Dominick, Joseph R.
(Thomson Wadsworth, 2006)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 91.3 .W47 2006

Topical issues in communications and media research
by Kwansah-Aidoo, Kwamena (ed.).
(Nova Science Publishers, 2005)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 91.3 .T668 2005

Table of Contents
Understanding research methods : an overview of the essentials
by Patten, Mildred L.
(Pyrczak Pub., c2005)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: Q 180.55 .M4 P38 2005

Reading and Understanding Research
by Locke, Lawrence F.
(Sage, 2004)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: Q 180 .A1 L63 2004

Qualitative research in journalism : taking it to the streets
by Iorio, Sharon Hartin (ed.).
(Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: PN 4784 .R38 Q35 2004

Handbook of political communication research
by Kaid, Lynda Lee
(Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004)
Call Number: JA 85 .H36 2004

Table of Contents
Handbook of media and communication research : qualitative and quantitative methodologies
by Jensen, Klaus Bruhn (ed.).
(Routledge, 2002)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 91.3 .H34 2002

Precision journalism : a reporter's introduction to social science methods
by Meyer, Philip
(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: PN 4775 .M48 2002

Info seeker : methods for successful research
by Garner, Simon
Format: DVD
Publishing Information: Insight Media, 2002
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: LB 1047.3 .I64 2002 DVD

"This program ...covers five sections: deciding on a topic, breaking down the elephant (narrowing down a broad topic), collecting data, analysing data, and writing a report."

Research methods knowledge base
by William M.K. Trochim
(Atomic Dog Publishing, 2001)
Call Number: Q 180.55 .M4 T76 2001

Media and communication research methods : an introduction to qualitative and quantitative approaches
by Berger, Arthur Asa
(Sage Publications, 2000)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 91.3 .B385 2000

Research paradigms, television, and social behavior
by Asamen, Joy Keiko; Berry, Gordon L. (eds.).
(Sage Publications, 1998)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: PN 1992.6 .R465 1998

RESEARCH DESIGN

Practical research : planning and design
by Leedy, Paul D.; Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis
(Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: Q 180.55 .M4 L43 2005

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
by Creswell, John W.
(Sage, 2003)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 62 .C6963 2003

ETHICS

Danger in the field : risk and ethics in social research
by Lee-Treweek, Geraldine; Linkogle, Stephanie (eds.).
(Routledge, 2000)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 62 .D24 2000

Ethics in qualitative research
by Mauthner, Melanie
(Sage Publications, 2002)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 62 .E777 2002

AUDIENCE STUDIES

Citizen audience : crowds, publics, and individuals
by Butsch, Richard
(Routledge, 2008)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 96 .A832 U63 2008

Ratings analysis : the theory and practice of audience research
by Webster, James G.; Phalen, Patricia F.; Lichty, Lawrence W.
(L. Erlbaum Associates, 2006)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HE 8700.65 .W42 2006

Media research methods : measuring audiences, reactions and impact
by Gunter, Barrie
(Sage, 2000)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 91.3 .G86 2000

RADAR 96 reference guide
by Arbitron

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This detailed website describes the methods Arbitron uses to determine radio audience ratings.

CONTENT ANALYSIS

Content analysis guidebook online
by Neuendorf, Kimberly A.

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This site includes flowcharts and links to information on reliability assessments, codebooks and coding forms, and computer content analysis.

Text analysis info
by Klein, Harald

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This site focuses on computer software for text analysis, including a glossary, and detailed, categorized links of software programs and how they work.

Content analysis reader
by Krippendorff, Klaus; Bock, Mary Angela (eds.).
(Sage Publications, 2009)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 93 .C65 2009

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Television discourse : analysing language in the media
by Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: PN 1992.8 .L35 L67 2009

Advances in discourse studies
by Bhatia, Vijay K.; Flowerdew, John; Jones, Rodney H. (eds.).
(Routledge, 2008)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 302 .A324 2008

Discourse analysis
by Widdowson, H. G.
(Oxford University Press, 2007)
Call Number: P 302 .W53 2007

Sequence organization in interaction
by Schegloff, Emanuel A.
(Cambridge University Press, 2007)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 95.45 .S34 2007

Investigating media discourse
by O'Keeffe, Anne
(Routledge, 2006)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 96 .L34 O39 2006

Table of Contents
"Conversation analysis as research methodology"
by Seedhouse, Paul
Found in: Applying conversation analysis. Richards, Keith; Seedhouse, Paul (eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, 2005
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 95.45 .A66 2005

After rhetoric : the study of discourse beyond language and culture
by Yarbrough, Stephen R.
(Southern Illinois University Press, 1999)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: P 302 .Y37 1999

Discourse and Multimedia Analysis
by Lemke, Jay

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This website was developed to accompany a course on discourse and multimedia analysis at the University of Michigan.  It includes links to online readings, a short glossary, and course notes.

Discourse in society
by Teun A. van Dijk

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This website includes over forty full-text articles and book chapters by the author, an expert in the subject, on discourse methods and their applications.

FOCUS GROUPS AND INTERVIEWS

Focus Groups: Theory and Practice
by Stewart, David W., Prem N. Shamdasani, and Dennis W. Rook.
(SAGE Publications, c2007)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 61.28 .S74 2007

Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Method
by Gubrium, Jaber F. , and James A. Holstein, eds.
(Sage, 2001)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: H 61.28 .H36 2001

"Special issue on Focus Groups"
by Carey, Martha Ann
Journal Name: Qualitative Health Research
Volume (issue), date, pages: 5(4), November 1995
Click here for Electronic Access

This special issue of Qualitative Health Research includes articles on focus group methodology, ethics, analysis, applications and pitfalls.

Focus group fundamentals
by Grudens-Schuck, Nancy; Allen, Beverlyn Lundy; Larson, Kathlene

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This website from the Iowa State University Extension Center briefly summarizes the purposes, procedures and limitations of focus group research.

NARRATIVE ANALYSIS

Narrative Methods for Organizational and Communication Research
by Boje, David M.
(Sage, 2001)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HD 30.3 .B65 2001

Narrative analysis
by Riessman, Catherine Kohler
(Sage, 1993)
Call Number: P 302.7 .R54 1993

SURVEYS

Mail and internet surveys : the tailored design method
by Dillman, Don A.
(Wiley, 2007)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HM 538 .D55 2007

Table of Contents
How to conduct surveys : a step-by-step guide
by Fink, Arlene
(Sage Publications, 2006)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HN 29 .F53 2006

Table of Contents
Designing and conducting survey research : a comprehensive guide
by Rea, Louis M.; Parker, Richard A.
(Jossey-Bass, 2005)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HA 31.2 .R43 2005

Table of Contents
Conducting research surveys via e-mail and the web
by Schonlau, Matthias; Fricker, Ronald D. Jr.; Elliott, Marc N.
(Rand, 2002)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HA 29 .S366 2002

Survey research links
by University of Illinois at Chicago Survey Research Laboratory

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This site includes links to codes of survey ethics and best practices, survey data analysis resources, and information on sample sizes and generating random samples.

Best Practices for Survey and Public Opinion Research
by American Association for Public Opinion Research

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A detailed list of twelve necessary elements for conducting a quality survey.

What is a survey?
by American Statistical Association : Survey Research Methods Section

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This online booklet explains how to plan a survey, conduct pretesting, collect data, analyze data, and judge survey quality.

META-ANALYSIS

Mass media effects research : advances through meta-analysis
by Preiss, Raymond W.
(Erlbaum Associates, 2007)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: HM 1206 .M374 2007

Table of Contents
Interpersonal communication research : advances through meta-analysis
by Allen, Mike (ed.).
(Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002)
Location: McNichols Campus Library
Call Number: BF 637 .C45 I644 2002

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

SPSS 16.0 Advanced Statistical Procedures Companion
by NoruĊĦis, M. J.;
(Prentice Hall, 2008)
Call Number: HA 32 .N6722 2008 + CD

For additional resources, search the UDM library catalog for the following LC subject headings:

  • Communication -- Research
  • Conversation analysis
  • Discourse analysis, Narrative
  • Discourse analysis -- Research -- Methodology
  • Interpersonal communication -- Research
  • Mass media -- Research
  • Radio programs -- Ratings -- Methodology
  • Research -- Methodology
  • Social surveys
  • Social sciences -- Research -- Methodollgy
  • Television programs -- Ratings -- Methodology
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