This text starts by explaining the fundamental goal of good political science research—the ability to answer interesting and important questions by generating valid inferences about political phenomena. Before the text even discusses the process of developing a research question, the authors introduce the reader to what it means to make an inference and the different challenges that social scientists face when confronting this task. Only with this ultimate goal in mind will students be able to ask appropriate questions, conduct fruitful literature reviews, select and execute the proper research design, and critically evaluate the work of others. The authors' primary goal is to teach students to critically evaluate their own research designs and others’ and analyze the extent to which they overcome the classic challenges to making inference: internal and external validity concerns, omitted variable bias, endogeneity, measurement, sampling, and case selection errors, and poor research questions or theory. As such, students will not only be better able to conduct political science research, but they will also be more savvy consumers of the constant flow of causal assertions that they confront in scholarship, in the media, and in conversations with others. Three themes run through Barakso, Sabet, and Schaffner’s text: minimizing classic research problems to making valid inferences, effective presentation of research results, and the nonlinear nature of the research process. Throughout their academic years and later in their professional careers, students will need to effectively convey various bits of information. Presentation skills gleaned from this text will benefit students for a lifetime, whether they continue in academia or in a professional career. Several distinctive features make this book noteworthy: A common set of examples threaded throughout the text give students a common ground across chapters and expose them to a broad range of subfields in the discipline. Box features throughout the book illustrate the nonlinear, "non-textbook" reality of research, demonstrate the often false inferences and poor social science in the way the popular press covers politics, and encourage students to think about ethical issues at various stages of the research process.

Understand the “how” and the “why” behind research in political science. Step by step, Political Science Research Methods walks students through the logic of research design, carefully explaining how researchers choose which method to employ. The Eighth Edition of this trusted resource offers a greater emphasis on the ways in which particular methods are used by undergraduates, expanded coverage of the role of the Internet in research and analysis, and more international examples. Practice makes perfect. In the new fourth edition of the accompanying workbook, Working with Political Science Research Methods, students are given the perfect opportunity 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.

There are a plethora of books that aim to teach the research methods needed for political science. Thinking Like a Political Scientist stands out from them in its conviction that students are better served by learning a handful of core lessons well rather than trying to memorize hundreds of often statistical definitions. Short and concise, the book has two main parts, Asking Good Questions and Generating Good Answers. In the first section, one chapter each is devoted to the three fundamental questions in political science: who cares?, what happened?, and why?. These take up, among many other topics, crafting a literature review, creating hypotheses, measuring concepts, and the difference between correlation and causation. The second section of the book has chapters about choosing a research design, choosing cases, working with written documents, and working with numbers. All of these are essential skills for undergraduates to have when reading published work and conducting their own research. Every chapter ends with several exercises where students can read examples from published work and develop their own skills as researchers. Finally, unlike most research methods books, Christopher Howard s sprinkles humor and surprising analogies throughout."

"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. A Complete Teaching & Learning Package SAGE coursepacks FREE! Easily import our quality instructor and student resource content into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Learn more. SAGE edge FREE online resources for students that make learning easier. See how your students benefit. Bundle with the accompanying workbook for only $15 more! 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. Your students save when you order the workbook bundled with the text. Use bundle ISBN 978-1-5443-3157-7.

This book is an introduction to the process and methods of using empirical research to achieve scientific knowledge in political science. Using case studies to explain the fundamentals of the research process, the authors tell how to formulate hypotheses, devise measurement strategies, develop a research design, conduct a literature review, make empirical observations, and write a research report. They also discuss survey research techniques, such as mailed questionnaires and personal and telephone interviews; analysis of written records; ethical issues when subjects are indirectly observed; and univariate, bivariate, and multivariate data analysis. ISBN 0-87187-329-X: $14.95.

Through accounts from innovative research projects by world-leading political scientists, this volume offers a unique perspective on research methodology. It discusses the practical and intellectual dilemmas researchers face throughout the research process in a wide range of fields from implicit attitude testing to media analysis and interviews.

Understand the “how” and the “why” behind research in political science. Political Science Research Methods by Janet Buttolph Johnson, H. T. Reynolds, and Jason D. Mycoff helps you to understand the logic behind research design by guiding you 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.

This Handbook offers a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art research methods and applications currently in use in political science. It combines theory and methodology (qualitative and quantitative), and offers insights into the major approaches and their roots in the philosophy of scientific knowledge. Including a comprehensive discussion of the relevance of a host of digital data sources, plus the dos and don’ts of data collection in general, the book also explains how to use diverse research tools and highlights when and how to apply these techniques.

"Pollock and Edwards explain the nuts-and-bolts of research design and data analysis in a clear and concise style. The Essential of Political Analysis is an intuitive introduction to complex material, replete with examples from the political science literature that add relevance to statistical concepts. This text offers students an excellent balance between the technical and the practical." —Francis Neely, San Francisco State University Gain the skills you need to conduct political analysis and critically assess statistical research. In this Sixth Edition of The Essentials of Political Science, bestselling authors Philip H. Pollock III and Barry C. Edwards build students’ analytic abilities and develop their statistical reasoning with new data, fresh exercises, and accessible examples. This brief, accessible guide walks students through the essentials—measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables—while using key terms, chapter-opening objectives, over 80 tables and figures, and practical exercises to get them using and applying their new skills. Using SPSS, STATA or R? Discounted package deals available with Philip H. Pollock’s companion workbooks. . Give your students the SAGE edge! 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.

The Second Edition offers a holistic view of political science by dedicating one chapter to each area of study within the discipline, allowing students to sample what the major has to offer and come away with a basic understanding of how politics affects their everyday lives.