| Part 1 | The Research Process | |
| Chapter 1 | Science and Research | 1 |
| Introduction | 2 |
| What Is Research? | 2 |
| Getting Started | 5 |
| The Development of Mass Media Research | 7 |
| Media Research and the Scientific Method | 10 |
| The Methods of Knowing | 10 |
| Characteristics of the Scientific Method | 11 |
| Two Sectors of Research: Academic and Private | 15 |
| Research Procedures | 16 |
| Determining Topic Relevance | 21 |
| Stating a Hypothesis or Research Question | 25 |
| Data Analysis and Interpretation | 26 |
| Internal Validity | 27 |
| External Validity | 32 |
| Presenting Results | 32 |
| Research Suppliers and Field Services | 33 |
| Summary | 38 |
| Key Terms | 39 |
| Using the Internet | 40 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 40 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 40 |
| Chapter 2 | Elements of Research | 43 |
| Concepts and Constructs | 44 |
| Independent and Dependent Variables | 45 |
| Qualitative and Quantitative Research | 48 |
| The Nature of Measurement | 50 |
| Levels of Measurement | 52 |
| Measurement Scales | 55 |
| Reliability and Validity | 58 |
| Summary | 63 |
| Key Terms | 64 |
| Using the Internet | 64 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 64 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 65 |
| Chapter 3 | Research Ethics | 66 |
| Ethics and the Research Process | 67 |
| Why Be Ethical? | 67 |
| General Ethical Theories | 68 |
| Ethical Principles | 69 |
| Specific Ethical Problems | 71 |
| Ethics and Online Research | 82 |
| Summary | 84 |
| Key Terms | 84 |
| Using the Internet | 85 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 85 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 85 |
| Chapter 4 | Sampling | 87 |
| Population and Sample | 88 |
| Probability and Nonprobability Samples | 89 |
| Sample Size | 100 |
| Sampling Error | 102 |
| Summary | 109 |
| Key Terms | 110 |
| Using the Internet | 110 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 110 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 111 |
| Part 2 | Research Approaches | |
| Chapter 5 | Qualitative Research Methods | 112 |
| Aims and Philosophy | 113 |
| Data Analysis in Qualitative Research | 116 |
| Field Observations | 120 |
| Focus Groups | 128 |
| Intensive Interviews | 135 |
| Case Studies | 136 |
| Ethnography | 140 |
| Writing the Qualitative Research Report | 143 |
| Summary | 145 |
| Key Terms | 146 |
| Using the Internet | 146 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 146 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 147 |
| Chapter 6 | Content Analysis | 149 |
| Definition of Content Analysis | 150 |
| Uses of Content Analysis | 151 |
| Limitations of Content Analysis | 153 |
| Steps in Content Analysis | 154 |
| Reliability | 165 |
| Validity | 170 |
| Examples of Content Analysis | 171 |
| Content Analysis and the Internet | 171 |
| Summary | 173 |
| Key Terms | 174 |
| Using the Internet | 174 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 174 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 174 |
| Chapter 7 | Survey Research | 178 |
| Descriptive and Analytical Surveys | 179 |
| Advantages and Disadvantages of Survey Research | 179 |
| Constructing Questions | 180 |
| Questionnaire Design | 189 |
| Pretesting | 194 |
| Gathering Survey Data | 194 |
| Achieving a Reasonable Response Rate | 205 |
| General Problems in Survey Research | 206 |
| Summary | 207 |
| Key Terms | 208 |
| Using the Internet | 208 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 208 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 209 |
| Chapter 8 | Longitudinal Research | 211 |
| Development | 212 |
| Types of Longitudinal Studies | 213 |
| Panel Studies | 218 |
| Special Panel Designs | 222 |
| Analyzing Causation in Panel Data | 223 |
| Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Data in Longitudinal Research | 225 |
| Longitudinal Research on the Internet | 225 |
| Longitudinal Design in Experiments | 226 |
| Summary | 227 |
| Key Terms | 227 |
| Using the Internet | 227 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 227 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 228 |
| Chapter 9 | Experimental Research | 230 |
| Advantages and Disadvantages of Laboratory Experiments | 231 |
| Conducting Experimental Research | 233 |
| Control of Confounding Variables | 235 |
| Experimental Design | 237 |
| Field Experiments | 244 |
| Online Experiments | 250 |
| Summary | 252 |
| Key Terms | 253 |
| Using the Internet | 253 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 253 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 253 |
| Part 3 | Data Analysis | |
| Chapter 10 | Introduction to Statistics | 255 |
| Descriptive Statistics | 256 |
| Sample Distribution | 271 |
| Data Transformation | 275 |
| Summary | 276 |
| Key Terms | 276 |
| Using the Internet | 276 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 277 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 277 |
| Chapter 11 | Hypothesis Testing | 278 |
| Research Questions and Hypotheses | 279 |
| Testing Hypotheses for Statistical Significance | 283 |
| Summary | 290 |
| Key Terms | 291 |
| Using the Internet | 291 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 291 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 291 |
| Chapter 12 | Basic Statistical Procedures | 292 |
| History of Small-Sample Statistics | 293 |
| Nonparametric Statistics | 294 |
| Parametric Statistics | 298 |
| Summary | 317 |
| Key Terms | 317 |
| Using the Internet | 317 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 318 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 318 |
| Part 4 | Research Applications | |
| Chapter 13 | Research in the Print Media | 319 |
| Background | 320 |
| Types of Print Media Research | 322 |
| Print Media Research and the Internet | 333 |
| Summary | 334 |
| Key Terms | 335 |
| Using the Internet | 335 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 335 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 335 |
| Chapter 14 | Research in the Electronic Media | 339 |
| Background | 340 |
| Ratings Research | 341 |
| Nonratings Research | 359 |
| Summary | 366 |
| Key Terms | 367 |
| Using the Internet | 367 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 367 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 368 |
| Chapter 15 | Research in Advertising | 369 |
| Copy Testing | 370 |
| Media Research | 378 |
| Campaign Assessment Research | 386 |
| Qualitative Techniques in Advertising Research | 388 |
| Summary | 392 |
| Key Terms | 392 |
| Using the Internet | 392 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 392 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 393 |
| Chapter 16 | Research in Public Relations | 395 |
| Types of Public Relations Research | 396 |
| Research in the Public Relations Process | 397 |
| Summary | 408 |
| Key Terms | 408 |
| Using the Internet | 408 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 408 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 409 |
| Chapter 17 | Mass Media Research and the Internet | 411 |
| Brief History of the Internet | 412 |
| Research and the Internet-Background | 414 |
| Internet Data Collection Approaches | 415 |
| Frequently Asked Questions | 416 |
| Advantages of Internet Research | 419 |
| Disadvantages of Internet Research | 423 |
| Practical and Ethical Considerations of Internet Research | 424 |
| The Future of Internet Research | 425 |
| Internet Research Companies | 426 |
| Summary | 427 |
| Key Terms | 427 |
| Using the Internet | 427 |
| Questions and Problems for Further Investigation | 428 |
| References and Suggested Readings | 428 |
| Appendix | Tables | 429 |
| Glossary | 443 |
| Name Index | 453 |
| Subject Index | 459 |