1st Edition
The Illustrated Guide to the Mass Communication Research Project
This book makes mass communication research projects more accessible to the new student researcher through a balance between an academically rigorous guide and an informal and humorous student-centered approach.
The Illustrated Guide to the Mass Communication Research Project’s unique, visual approach brings to life concepts and tactics under discussion through vivid illustrations. The book follows the universal format of the academic research paper: abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, hypotheses/research questions, quantitative and qualitative analysis/findings, discussion, and conclusion. It guides the reader through using key methods central to much of mass communication research: observation, interviews, focus groups, case studies, content analysis, surveys, experiments, and sampling. Each chapter contains examples of the segment under discussion, using excerpted research studies that provide writing models for the student’s own research report.
Ideal for students in research-centered courses in mass media, communication studies, marketing, and public relations, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level, this text will continue to serve as a valuable resource into a future communications and marketing career.
Online resources are provided to support the book: examples of an in-depth interview guide, a focus group moderator guide, a content analysis coding form, observation field notes and an experiment cover story; templates for a personal SWOT analysis and an informed consent form; a research topic worksheet; a literature review matrix; and coding exercises. Please visit www.routledge.com/9781032080758.
Chapter 1 Getting Started
- What this Book Offers: HELP!
- More…
- What’s in It for You?
- Developing a Research Mindset
- Activities
Chapter 2 Finding a Research Topic You Like
- How to Find a Research Topic
- Step 1: What’s Your Passion?
- Step 2: Link Your Passion Pick to Other Interests
- Step 3: Preliminary Research: What’s Being Said about Your Topic
- Step 4: Formulate Tentative Questions about Your Topic
- Moving On
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 3 Determining Your Research Approach
- Ways We Acquire Knowledge
- Your Research Framework
- What Kind of Researcher are You?
- Step 1: Your Ontological View
- Step 2: Your Epistemological View
- Step 3: Your Axiological View
- Step 4: Your Methodological View
- Step 5: Your Research Method
- How this Relates to Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 4 Thinking Ethically
- Ethical Research
- Researcher Misconduct
- Other Ethical Concerns for Researchers
- Protecting Human Participants
- Online Research Ethics
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 5 Writing a Literature Review
- Literature Review’s Purpose
- Getting Ready to Commit
- Organizing It: A Literature Review’s Structure
- Finding Solid Sources
- Keyword, Phrase, and Subject Searches
- Search Aids
- Writing It
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 6 Writing a Research Question and Hypothesis
- Research Questions and Hypotheses
- Writing a Research Questions
- Writing a Hypothesis
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 7 Choosing a Research Method
Observation
- What is Observational Research?
- Why Choose Observation?
- How to Set Up an Observation Project
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
In-Depth Interview
- What is In-Depth Interview Research?
- Why Choose In-Depth Interviews?
- Online Interviews
- How to Set Up an In-Depth Interview Project
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Focus Group
- What is Focus Group Research?
- Why Choose a Focus Group?
- Online Focus Groups
- How to Set Up a Focus Group Project
- Add a Survey
- Add Focus Group Activities
- Technology Considerations
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Case Study
- What is a Case Study Research?
- Why Choose a Case Study?
- How to Set Up a Case Study Project
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Content Analysis
- What is a Content Analysis Research?
- Why Choose a Content Analysis?
- How to Set Up a Content Analysis Project
- Qualitative Content Analysis
- Quantitative Content Analysis
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Survey
- What is Survey Research?
- Why Choose a Survey?
- Online Survey Considerations
- How to Set Up a Survey Project
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Experiment
- What is Experimental Research?
- Why Choose an Experiment?
- Experimental Design Options
- How to Set Up a True Experiment Project
- Academic Writing Example
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Sampling
- Sampling Strategy and Techniques
- Sample Size
Chapter 8 The Results: Qualitative Data Analysis
- Making Sense of Qualitative Data
- Qualitative Approaches
- Reflexive Thematic Analysis
- How Reflexive Thematic Analysis Works
- Directed Qualitative Content Analysis
- How Directed Qualitative Content Analysis Works
- Inductive and Deductive Quality Checks
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 8 The Results: Quantitative Data Analysis
- Making Sense of Quantitative Data
- Characteristics of Numerical Data
- Levels of Measurement
- Options for Analyzing Numerical Data
- When You Have Nominal (Categorical) Level Data
- When You Have Ordinal (Ranked-Ordered) Level Data
- When You Have Interval or Ratio (Continuous) Data
- Data Visualization Considerations
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 9 Writing the Discussion Section
- The Discussion Section
- How to Write the Discussion
- Academic Writing Examples
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 10 Formatting the Paper
- Formatting Your Paper
- American Psychological Association Style
- Formatting at a Glance
- Abstract
- References
- Tables and Figures
- Appendices
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Chapter 11 Presenting Your Research
- Beyond the Research Paper
- Spoken Research Presentations
- Poster Presentations
- Research Conference Presentations
- Publishing Options
- Activities
- Resources
- References
Biography
Patricia Swann, former Dean of the School of Business and Justice Studies, is a Professor of Public Relations and Management at Utica University, USA. She is the Executive Director of the Raymond Simon Institute for Public Relations and Journalism and the former head of the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. She is the author of Cases in Public Relations Management and The Illustrated Guide to the Content Analysis Research Project.
