Political Science Research Methods

Ninth Edition

Janet Buttolph Johnson - University of Delaware, USA
H. T. Reynolds - University of Delaware, USA
Jason D. Mycoff - University of Delaware, USA

Courses:
Research Methods | Research Methods in Political Science | Research Methods in Political Science | Research Methods in Political Science

July 2019 | 400 pages | CQ Press

“This is a solid text that walks students through the entire process of empirical, quantitative research methods in political science without being too math-heavy. Students will be able to read this book and come away with an increased understanding of how we use research methods in political science.”
—Amanda M. Rosen, Webster University

Understand the “how” and the “why” behind research in political science.

Political Science Research Methods helps students to understand the logic behind research design by guiding them through a step-by-step process that explains when and why a researcher would pursue different kinds of methods. The highly anticipated Ninth Edition of this trusted resource provides more international examples, an increased focus on the role ethics play in the research process, increased attention to qualitative research methods, and expanded coverage on the role of the internet in research and analysis.

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Working with Political Science Research Methods, Fifth Edition offers students multiple opportunities to practice each of the methods presented in the core text. This helpful supplement breaks each aspect of the research process into manageable parts and features new exercises and updated data sets. A solutions manual with answers to the workbook is available to adopters.

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Tables, Figures, and Features

Preface

About the Authors

Chapter 1 • Introduction

Research on Income Inequality

Politics and the Gender Gap

The Case of Italian (Non) Tax Compliance

Protests and Repression in New Democracies

The Observer Effect in International Politics: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Chapter 2 • The Empirical Approach to Political Science

Elements of Empiricism

The Importance of Theory

A Brief Overview of the Empirical Research Process

Reactions to the Empirical Approach: Practical Objections

Competing Points of View

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 3 • Beginning the Research Process: Identifying a Research Topic, Developing Research Questions, and Reviewing the Literature

Specifying the Research Question

Sources of Ideas for Research Topics

Why Conduct a Literature Review?

Collecting Sources for a Literature Review

Writing a Literature Review

Anatomy of a Literature Review

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 4 • The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Hypotheses, Concepts, Variables, and Measurement

Proposing Explanations

Formulating Hypotheses

Defining Concepts

Devising Measurement Strategies

The Accuracy of Measurements

The Precision of Measurements

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 5 • Sampling

The Basics of Sampling

How Do We Use a Sample to Learn About a Population?

Sampling Methods

Types of Samples

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 6 • Research Design: Establishing Causation

Verifying Causal Assertions

Qualitative and Quantitative Methods and Analysis: Causes-of-Effects and Effects-of-Causes Approaches

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 7 • Qualitative Research: Case Study Designs

Case Study Methods

Case Study Types

Using Cases to Explore Causal Mechanisms: Process Tracing

Generalizing from Cases Studies

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 8 • Making Empirical Observations: Qualitative Analysis

Types of Data and Collection Techniques

Data Collection in Qualitative Research

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 9 • Quantitative Research Designs

Randomized Experimental Designs

Natural Experiments

Nonrandomized Designs: Quasi-Experiments

Observational Studies

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 10 • Quantitative Methods

The Wide Variety of Quantitative Projects

Sources of Data for Quantitative Studies

Data Management

Ethical Concerns with Quantitative Methods

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 11 • Making Sense of Data: First Steps

The Data Matrix

Descriptive Statistics

Graphs for Presentation and Exploration

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 12 • Testing Relationships

The Normal Distribution and z Scores

Confidence Intervals

Hypothesis Testing

Testing a Relationship with Two Samples

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 13 • Analyzing Relationships for Categorical Data

The Basics of Identifying and Measuring Relationships

Table Summaries of Categorical Variable Associations

Measuring Strength of Relationships in Tables

Measures of Association: Statistics for Reporting the Strength of Relationships in Tables

Chi Square Test for Independence

Multivariate Analysis of Categorical Data

Analysis of Variance: Analyzing the Difference between Means for More Than Two Means

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 14 • Regression

Logic of Regression

Minimizing the Sum of the Squared Error

The Linear Regression Model

Maximum Likelihood Models for Dichotomous Dependent Variables

Conclusion

Terms Introduced

Suggested Readings

Chapter 15 • The Research Report: An Annotated Example

Annotated Research Report Example

Appendixes

Appendix A: Normal Curve Tail Probabilities

Appendix B: Critical Values from t Distribution

Appendix C: Chi-Squared Distribution Values for Various Right-Tail Probabilities

Appendix D: F Distribution

Glossary

Index

Supplements

Instructor Resources Site

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“I like the focus on empiricism and the attempt to illustrate numerous research puzzles throughout.”

Anna Brigevich

North Carolina Central University

“A great overview of research methods written by and for political scientists.”

Ewa Golebiowska

Wayne State University

“This textbook is an informative and broad first foray into political science research methods that is appropriate for any early undergraduate student.”

Ronald J. McGauvran

University of North Texas

“This is a solid text that walks students through the entire process of empirical quantitative research methods in political science without being too math-heavy. Students will be able to read this book and come away with an increased understanding of how we use research methods in political science.”

Amanda M. Rosen

Webster University

Language is very simple and a good introductory book for junior class.

Owura Kuffuor

Political Science Dept, Purdue University

January 15, 2022

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Compared to other introductory political science research methods books, I find this one to be very hands-on, easy to follow, and visually appealing. I am excited to use this textbook for the first time in the summer and will provide feedback to you all from my students about the textbook! Thank you!

Professor Rachael Houston

Political Science Dept, Uni Of Minnesota-Twin Cities

March 5, 2020

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Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

A significant reduction in length enables students to focus on the major points of each discussion.
Two new chapters (Ch. 7 and Ch. 8) are dedicated to qualitative research to give students a stronger foundation in qualitative research design and data collection methods.
An emphasis on the logic of demonstrating causality helps students to better evaluate causal claims.
Formulas have been revised so that they use consistent terms with the discussion of correlation, t-tests, and confidence intervals in other chapters for clarity.
Regression is covered in a single chapter (Ch. 14) to make the topic easier for students to understand why one would use regression as well as how one would calculate and interpret it.
A new chapter on categorical data (Ch. 13) enables students to analyze relationships involving categorical data, both bivariate and multivariate.
Additional international relations and comparative politics examples improves the balance of examples across political science subfields.

KEY FEATURES:

Learning objectives provide measurable takeaways of key chapter content.
"Helpful Hints" boxes give students practical, nuts-and-bolts reminders they can refer to when conducting their own research.
“How It’s Done” boxes provide a quick reference for doing calculations.
SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning.