Reports that follow-up mailings are generally worth the time and money in communications surveys of elite groups, that they are essential in studies in which the return rate for the first mailing is quite low, and that they can sometimes make the difference between a worthwhile and a worthless study. (GW)

A study of the reported sampling methods and respondent/subject characteristics in 297 published communication research studies suggests that the vast majority of published communication research literature does not meet minimal scholarly standards for reporting research results. (GT)

Lays out a systematic analysis of different experimental designs for message effects research. Discusses advantages of designs that include replications. Considers the issue of a fixed- versus random-effects analysis, and argues that replication factors should be treated as random except in very unusual circumstances. Examines in detail two…

Investigates the use of "vague quantifiers" (terms such as "often,""sometimes,""rarely," or "never") in communication research. Finds that these words do not always mean the same thing to different people, and thus may not constitute interval scales. Suggests that research outcomes based upon such…

Explores how to achieve rigor in applying methodology to research questions regarding quantitative approaches, specifically regarding statistical analysis, measurement, and sample decisions. (SR)

Finds that, although call-in poll participants are generally similar in socio-demographics to the population as a whole, they are more opinionated than are telephone survey respondents. Confirms that call-in polls and surveys of the population do not necessarily produce similar information concerning public opinion. (SR)

Provides tentative support for Carter's postulates that a person stops all other activities to engage in the cognitive behaviors generally labeled as "thinking," that is, those behaviors requiring interpersonal or intrapersonal communication. (RB)

Examines current practices in mass communication research with respect to message experiment design, analysis, and interference. Provides a logically consistent framework for mass communication researchers to make experimental design and data analysis decisions. (PRA)

Results of two studies indicate that the way in which Likert scale data are scored can make a difference when statistical significance tests are used. The studies raise a number of questions about the use of Likert scales in communication research. (GT)

Shows that content analysis performed on a database of newspaper stories yielded (in unpredictable ways) results different from the hand search. Cautions researchers to be careful when comparing content-analysis research results of online searches to hand searches, noting that all databases do not provide the same access to information. (SR)

Reports that the typical communication research study published from 1970 through 1976 was cross-sectional, was carried out in the United States only, cited literature published in the United States only, focused on the individual as the level of analysis, and used only sample survey data. (GT)

Uses content analysis of 1,391 articles published in leading journals between 1965 and 1989 to investigate women's scholarship in mass communication. Finds that the amount of published research by women has grown dramatically over the past two decades. Suggests few major differences between female and male scholars in research methods of published…

Discriminant analysis reveals threat as a dimension in a public relations practitioner's environment. (FL)

Reports on a study designed to determine the proportion of the communication research studies published in seven journals in the 1970s that obtained their data from, and based their conclusions upon, student populations in general and undergraduate college student populations in particular. (GW)