Mass Media Research By ROGER D. WIMMER & JOSEPH R. DOMINICK 9th Edition
Part One
The Research Process
Chapter 1
Science and Research 1
Chapter 2
Elements of Research 42
Chapter 3
Research Ethics 64
Chapter 4
Sampling 86
Part Two
Research Approaches
Chapter 5
Qualitative Research Methods 114
Chapter 6
Content Analysis 155
Chapter 7
Survey Research 184
Chapter 8
Longitudinal Research 218
Chapter 9
Experimental Research 238
Part Three
Data Analysis
Chapter 10
Introduction to Statistics 266
Chapter 11
Hypothesis Testing 289
Chapter 12
Basic Statistical Procedures 304
Part Four
Research Applications
Chapter 13
Newspaper and Magazine
Research 332
Chapter 14
Research in the Electronic Media 350
Chapter 15
Research in Advertising 380
Chapter 16
Research in Public Relations 405
Preface:
Things change constantly in all areas of life, and it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the changes. In every edition of this text, we are faced with several new technologies and research approaches that didn’t exist in a previous edition. It has been interesting to watch the development of such things as satellite television and radio, the Internet, MP3 players, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, and more. Each invention offers a wealth of new research topics and opportunities, and it has been fun to observe how mass communication constantly changes.
As mass media teachers and professional researchers, we want to provide you with the most detailed and most current information possible. However, that is a difficult task with a textbook since changes in mass media research happen frequently. Our best alternative, therefore, is to help you find the most current information about the topics we discuss in this text.
Therefore, throughout this text, we provide many Internet searches to help you find more information about the topics we discuss in the book. Please use these search suggestions. You’ll see that we use a specific format for the searches we suggest. Enter the search exactly as we suggest, although you may feel free to go beyond the searches we provide. The format we use for Internet searches is italics. That is, whenever we suggest an Internet search, the search is shown in italics. If you see quote marks with the search, be sure to include those because they are important in refining the search and eliminating useless information. For example, if we recommend that you search the Internet for more information about this text and suggest “Mass media research” Wimmer Dominick, then input your search exactly as written, including the quote marks. If you are new to using Internet search engines, please go to our book website at www.wimmerdominick.com and read the article about using search engines in the “Readings” section.
Approach and Organization As in the previous editions, our goal is to provide you with the tools you need to use mass media research in the professional world through simplified explanations of goals, procedures, and uses of information in mass media research. We want you to be comfortable with research and to recognize its unlimited value, so we use extensive practical applications to illustrate its use in the world today.
