The Craft of Political Research immerses readers not only in how political scientists work but also in how ideas produce research questions and guide the selection of research methods. Emphasizing the internal logic of research methods and the collaborative nature of the research process, this slender text explores the design behind interesting questions, problems in measurement and analysis, and key statistical methods. Brief and inexpensive to include in any course, The Craft of Political Research's elegant explanations inspire a big picture understanding of how political scientists explain political reality and encourage students to create their own inventive, original, and bold research work.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Doing Research Chapter 2. Political Theories and Research Topics Chapter 3. Importance of Dimensional Thinking Chapter 4. Problems of Measurement: Accuracy Chapter 5. Problems of Measurement: Precision Chapter 6. Causal Thinking and Design of Research Chapter 7. Selection of Observations for Study Chapter 8. Introduction to Statistics: Measuring Relationships for Interval Data Chapter 9. Introduction to Statistics: Further Topics on Measurement of Relationships Chapter 10. Introduction to Statistics: Inference, or How to Gamble on Your Research Chapter 11. Where Do Theories Come From?

Author Biography

W. Phillips Shively is Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.