Covers the survey research literature of the 1990s, with 617 annotations averaging over 200 words each, and with a 20-page subject index.

Survey research is one of the most widely used research methodologies across the social and behavioral sciences. Two trends that have had a major impact on the development of survey methods over the last decade are (1) the application of techniques and theories from cognitive psychology to the understanding and reduction of survey measurement error, and (2) the application of new computer and telephony technologies to data collection and analysis. These trends and other emerging issues from the 1990's literature on survey research methods are captured here in 617 detailed annotations to monographs, journals, government documents, dissertations, and ERIC documents. Annotations include examples from business, criminology, education, health and medicine, law, library science, mass media, military science, political science, psychology, sociology, social work, religion, and women's studies. The bibliographic entries provide every useful element, including series names, complete subtitles, and overall text page numbers as well as chapter page numbers. The extensive annotations are more complete, and more detailed than is typical for annotated bibliographies. The descriptions include highlights of the study data and sufficient detail to enable the reader to make an informed choice as to whether to seek the full text. Appendices include journals cited and the major survey research organizations. The annotations are easily accessed through author and subject indexes.

To the uninformed, surveys appear to be an easy type of research to design and conduct, but when students and professionals delve deeper, they encounter the vast complexities that the range and practice of survey methods present. To complicate matters, technology has rapidly affected the way surveys can be conducted; today, surveys are conducted via cell phone, the Internet, email, interactive voice response, and other technology-based modes. Thus, students, researchers, and professionals need both a comprehensive understanding of these complexities and a revised set of tools to meet the challenges. In conjunction with top survey researchers around the world and with Nielsen Media Research serving as the corporate sponsor, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods presents state-of-the-art information and methodological examples from the field of survey research. Although there are other "how-to" guides and references texts on survey research, none is as comprehensive as this Encyclopedia, and none presents the material in such a focused and approachable manner. With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader′s Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.

"This Fourth Edition of Floyd J. Fowler's bestselling Survey Research Methods presents the very latest methodological knowledge on surveys. It provides students and researchers who want to collect, analyze, or read about survey data with a sound basis for evaluating how each aspect of a survey can affect its precision, accuracy, and credibility. Offering a concise overview of the entire survey research process in clear and easy-to-understand language, the book is well suited to a wide range of readers, including those without strong statistical backgrounds." "Survey Research Methods is appropriate for undergraduate courses in research methods in the social sciences, as well as for master degree level research methods courses."--BOOK JACKET.

With engaging new contributions from the major figures in the fields of the media and public opinion The Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media is a key point of reference for anyone working in American politics today.

"An understanding of the relationship between the product and the process in election polling is often lost. This edited volume unites ideas and researchers, with quality playing the central role." —J. Michael Brick, PhD, Director of the Survey Methods Unit, Westat, Inc. Elections and Exit Polling is a truly unique examination of the specialized surveys that are currently used to track and collect data on elections and voter preferences. Employing modern research from the past decade and a series of interviews with famed American pollster Warren Mitofsky (1934-2006), this volume provides a relevant and groundbreaking look at the key statistical techniques and survey methods for measuring voter preferences worldwide. Drawing on the most current studies on pre-election and exit polling, this book outlines improvements that have developed in recent years and the results of their implementation. Coverage begins with an introduction to exit polling and a basic overview of its history, structure, limitations, and applications. Subsequent chapters focus on the use of exit polling in the United States election cycles from 2000–2006 and the problems that were encountered by both pollsters and the everyday voter, such as how to validate official vote count, confidentiality, new voting methods, and continuing data quality concerns. The text goes on to explore the presence of these issues in international politics, with examples and case studies of elections from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Finally, looking to the upcoming 2008 U.S. presidential election, the discussion concludes with predictions and recommendations on how to gather more accurate and timely polling data. Research papers from over fifty eminent practitioners in the fields of political science and survey methods are presented alongside excerpts from the editors' own interviews with Mitofsky. The editors also incorporate their own reflections throughout and conclude each chapter with a Summary Observations section that highlights notable concepts and trends. The appendix features sample questionnaires from actual exit polling scenarios and an extensive bibliography directs the reader to additional references for further study. Combining wisdom from one of the most notable names in the field along with findings from modern research and insightful recommendations for future practices, Elections and Exit Polling is an excellent supplement for political science and survey research courses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a one-of-a-kind reference for pollsters, survey researchers, statisticians, and anyone with a general interest in the methods behind global elections and exit polling.

Taking into account both traditional and emerging modes, this comprehensive new Handbook covers all major methodological and statistical issues in designing and analyzing surveys. With contributions from the world's leading survey methodologists and statisticians, this invaluable new resource provides guidance on collecting survey data and creating meaningful results. Featuring examples from a variety of countries, the book reviews such things as how to deal with sample designs, write survey questions, and collect data on the Internet. A thorough review of the procedures associated with multiple modes of collecting sample survey information and applying that combination of methods that fit the situation best is included. The International Handbook of Survey Methodology opens with the foundations of survey design, ranging from sources of error, to ethical issues. This is followed by a section on design that reviews sampling challenges and tips on writing and testing questions for multiple methods. Part three focuses on data collection, from face-to-face interviews, to Internet and interactive voice response, to special challenges involved in mixing these modes within one survey. Analyzing data from both simple and complex surveys is then explored, as well as procedures for adjusting data. The book concludes with a discussion of maintaining quality. Intended for advanced students and researchers in the behavioral, social, and health sciences, this "must have" resource will appeal to those interested in conducting or using survey data from anywhere in the world, especially those interested in comparing results across countries. The book also serves as a state-of-the-art text for graduate level courses and seminars on survey methodology. A companion website contains additional readings and examples.

Physicians, health researchers, and nurses make extensive use of focus groups. Thus, researchers and readers need access to the realm of applications of focus group methodology in the wide variety of medical and health sciences. In this second installment of a two-volume examination of ten recent years (1998-2007) of focus group studies and research literature, author Graham R. Walden turns his attention from the arts, humanities, and non-medical sciences to the medical and health sciences, concentrating on a broad range of studies in books, book chapters, and journal articles that are available in English. Focus Groups, Volume II: A Selective Annotated Bibliography: Medical and Health Sciences covers over 500 articles on a multitude of topics in the medical and health sciences, such as the health profession and the practice of medicine, public health, and several different bodily systems and types of diseases. The annotations in this bibliography describe the content of a source document to help the reader discern whether pursuit of the full text is appropriate or desirable. This book offers significant benefits to all medical personnel; graduate and undergraduate students; professional focus group practitioners; and individuals seeking increased awareness of studies that have been conducted in the health arena.