Examining both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this introductory text addresses media and communication research methods. Written for beginning research students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the book is clear, concise, and accompanied by many detailed examples. Attention-grabbing dialogue begins each chapter and gives students insights into a particular research technique. After an introduction, chapters in the book are: (1) What Is Research?; (2) Library Searches; (3) Semiotic Analysis; (4) Rhetorical Analysis; (5) Ideological Criticism; (6) Psychoanalytic Criticism; (7) Interviews; (8) Historical Analysis; (9) Ethnomethodological Research; (10) Participant Observation; (11) Content Analysis; (12) Surveys; (13) Experiments; (14) A Primer on Descriptive Statistics (with Felianka Kaftandjieva); (15) Nineteen Common Thinking Errors to Avoid; and (16) Writing Research Reports. (Contains 86 references and an approximately 150-item glossary.) (RS)