CSS 5351 Methods in Graduate Studies: Background Information

The International Encyclopedia of Communication represents the definitive reference work in this interdisciplinary and dynamic field. This authoritative twelve-volume set is jointly published by Wiley-Blackwell and the International Communication Association (ICA), the leading academic association of the discipline in the world.

A reference work that surveys rhetoric in 467 signed entries covering principles, concepts, applications, practical tools, and major thinkers. It provides an overview of rhetoric and its role in contemporary education and communications, discusses rhetoric's contributions to various fields, surveys its application to the teaching of English and language arts, and illustrates its usefulness in discourse, argument, and exchange of ideas.

A plethora of existing encyclopedias covers the independent study of religion, communication, and the media. Few, however, manage to bring these disparate fields together. Stout (journalism & media studies, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; coeditor, Journal of Media and Religion) has carefully chosen respected international scholars with expertise in a wide range of subjects-e.g., communication, religion, theology, and the media-to create this unprecedented interdisciplinary, cross-cultural encyclopedia concentrating on the various forms of written and oral religious methods used to communicate with divinity around the world. The 124 A-to-Z signed entries explore not only traditional media but also new media (e.g., cyber environments, film, and sculpture).

Communication theory is multidisciplinary in scope. Psychology, sociology, and other social science disciplines have been instrumental in the development of this subject for many decades. This encyclopedia features approximately 300 entries resulting from the collaborations and contributions of over 200 individuals from over ten countries. In two volumes, the editors (both professors of journalism and communications) have provided an overview of the subject broad enough to allow users to appreciate the interconnectedness of the principles of communications in a general sense, and narrow enough to focus only upon communication theory. The entries are of essay length and include expository definitions, text, see also references, and suggestions for further reading. Feminism, philosophy, linguistics, and global media are some of the relevant subsets of communication theory that this work covers.

Edited by Steve Jones, one of the leading scholars and founders of this emerging field, and with contributions from an international group of scholars as well as science and technology writers and editors, the Encyclopedia of New Media widens the boundaries of today's information society through interdisciplinary, historical, and international coverage. With such topics as broadband, content filtering, cyberculture, cyberethics, digital divide, freenet, MP3, privacy, telemedicine, viruses, and wireless networks, the Encyclopedia will be an indispensable resource for anyone interested or working in this field.

Writing simple research hypotheses -- A closer look at hypotheses -- Writing research purposes, objectives, and questions -- Writing titles -- Writing introductions and literature reviews -- Writing definitions -- Writing assumptions, limitations, and delimitations -- Writing method sections -- Writing analysis and results sections -- Writing discussion sections -- Writing abstracts -- Appendix A. Checklist of guidelines -- Appendix B. Thinking straight and writing that way -- Appendix C. The null hypothesis and significance testing.

The Concepts
What Is Social Science Research Methodology?
Dividing Up the World
Using Variables in the Social Sciences
Operationalization
Just Exactly What Do You Mean by That?
Sampling
Where to Look for Answers
Writing a Research Paper
Research Methodology as a Rhetorical Strategy
The Applications
Fieldwork
Looking at People in Actual Environments
The Experiment
Surveys
Content Analysis

This guide offers detailed advice on the journal article publication process, describing each step of the process and providing insights for improving the presentation of work intended for publication in communication journals. It includes advice from journal editors across the discipline and offers resource materials to help both new and seasoned writers publish their work.