1. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.1 Chapter 2 The Research Process: Getting Started Researcher as a detective Seeking answers to questions 1.Answer exists, but is unknown to you 2.If the answer is not known or available, conduct research to find the answer Research process depends on your abilities to search for and track down information

2. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.2 The Research Process Model Rules and traditions to be followed Multiple paths exist Proceeds logically and steadily, yet is circular and cyclical Be aware of obstacles and pitfalls

3. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.3 The Deductive Research Model Theory guides the investigation Gather data to assess whether theory is correct Move from known position to data

4. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.4 The Inductive Research Model Gather and analyze data framed around research question Formulate hypotheses and theories based on data Move from specific data to more general explanation

5. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.5 Identifying the Research Problem Ideas from your experiences Ideas from the media Turn broad topics into preliminary questions What do your questions assume? Rephrase for clarity

6. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.6 Evaluating Your Questions 1.Clearly stated? 2.Do others agree about its clarity? 3.Asked only one question? 4.Communication orientation? 5.Biased? 6.Can it be observed or measured? 7.Time and resources 8.Who would be interested? 9.How could the information be used?

7. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.7 Library Resources Scholarly articles in academic journals Communication journals Multidisciplinary journals Scholarly books Single-authored Edited collections

8. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.8 Basic Library Search 1.Identify key terms 2.Keyword search for each term in university catalog 3.Keyword search to combine terms 4.Examine resources for alternative keywords 5.Communication databases 6.Expanded Academic Index 7.Read articles and books 8.Can you answer your question?

9. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.9 Detailed Library Search Communication Yearbook Handbooks of communication Social Science Citation Index Other databases and resources Read articles and books Can you answer your question?

10. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.10 Web Resources Search engines Meta-search engines Determine validity and utility of posted information Date Author or sponsor

11. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.11 Adjusting the Question Adjust your question as you learn more Incorporate information you find into your question Did you uncover any relevant theories? Do theories provide competing explanations?

12. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.12 Reading Scholarly Books & Articles Evaluate the quality of the information Get a historical overview Start with a literature review Identify primary ideas and conclusions Track down others’ references Summarize what you’ve found

13. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.13 The Role of Theory in Research Generally, quantitative research starts with theory Generally, qualitative research answers questions to develop theory Theories are... Developed and tested incrementally over time Never complete

14. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.14 Theory-Research Link Theory provides patterns for interpreting data links one study to another provides a framework for understanding how communication concepts and issues are important helps us interpret the meaning of research findings

15. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.15 Theory-Research Link Scientific inquiry is a process of developing and testing theory Process is not always linear Meaningful inquiry drives theory or is theory-driven Multiple studies used to develop or challenge theory

16. Copyright c 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.16 Continuing with the Research Process Repeat work of others if it is flawed or dated Disagreement among scholars may suggest a study Develop research studies to fill in the gaps Develop research studies to answer the questions previous research results raise