Research Methods in Politics [Paperback]

Research Methods in Politics is an accessible and student-friendly guide to the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in researching politics. This clearly written book is ideal for use on introductory methods courses and its helpful structure also makes it a useful guide for readers who are doing their own research project. The inclusion of chapter objectives, regular summaries, questions for discussion, and tasks and assignments, makes this the must-have text for anyone studying research methods as part of an undergraduate or graduate politics course.Research Methods in Politics is an accessible and student-friendly guide to the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in researching politics. This clearly written book is ideal for use on introductory methods courses and its helpful structure also makes it a useful guide for readers who are doing their own research project. The inclusion of chapter objectives, regular summaries, questions for discussion, and tasks and assignments, makes this the must-have text for anyone studying research methods as part of an undergraduate or graduate politics course.This is a valuable hands-on guide which can be particularly helpful to students who want to critically review and evaluate existing research.PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Power in Research, Ethics, Data Protection and Bias
The Philosophy and Principles of Research
PART TWO: METHODOLOGIES
Qualitative versus Quantitative Methods
A Relevant Argument?
Collecting Data Sets
Case Studies, Experimental, Comparative, Longitudinal and Action Research Models
PART THREE: COLLECTING INFORMATION
Critically Evaluating Published Research
Evaluating Information
Validity, Reliability, Accuracy, Triangulation
Completing a Literature Review
Accessing Published Information
Asking Questions