research methods class

Everyday Research

The informal, routine process of gathering information to answer questions or make decisions in daily life, such as checking reviews, news, or user guides.

Academic Research

A systematic, evidence-based investigation conducted by scholars to discover new insights, test hypotheses, and contribute original knowledge to a specific field.

What are the four categories of communications research

Interpersonal communication organizational communication mass media political communication

Interpersonal communication

Face to face or digital interactions between two people or more

Organizational communication

How messages function within a formal setting and structure

Mass media

Analyzes the production distribution and audience effects of media from television radio internet and print outlets

Political communication

Investigates the role of campaigning public and public opinion

Deductive application of theory in research

A researcher with an existing theory develops a hypothesis and collects data to test if the theory is true

Inductive application of theory in research

Going from specific theories to broader ones to form new ideas

Comparisons in research

systematically evaluating two or more groups, variables, theories, or datasets to identify similarities, differences, patterns, and cause-and-effect relationships

Epistemology

the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, origin, scope, and limits of human knowledge

Positivism

knowledge must be based on objective, observable facts and scientific evidence rather than on intuition, religion, or abstract speculation

Interpretivism

a research philosophy in the social sciences that argues human behavior cannot be studied using the rigid, objective methods of natural sciences.

ontology

the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of being, existence, and reality

Objectivism

real, objective world exists independently of human consciousness, perception, or interpretation

Constructionism

the theory that individuals actively build knowledge and meaning from their experiences, interactions, and reflections rather than passively absorbing information

Quantitive research

A method collecting numbers and data

Qualative research

Focuses on the how and the why

Hypothesis

An educated guess that needs to be tested

Indipendent  variables

The factor in the experiment you change

Dependent variables

The factor in the experiment that you don’t change

Research questions

a clear, open-ended query that defines the specific problem, scope, and direction of an academic study or paper.

Criteria for research questions

clear, focused, complex enough to analyze, and practical to answer.

Three ethics principles

Respect for persons,concern for welfare, justice

Informed consent

When the person knows and agrees to everything happening nothing being Hidden

Privacy and confidentiality

Keeping things anonymous and private

TCPS

Tri council policy statement ethical conduct of research involving humans 2nd edition

University REBs

Universities research ethics board room