Provides a basic introduction to the nature of research questions and methods of empirical research in political science. This book is intended for undergraduate Political Science courses in Research Methods, Introduction to Political Science, and honors seminars, and for first-year graduate scope and methods seminars.

For undergraduate Political Science courses in Research Methods, Introduction to Political Science, and honors seminars, and for first-year graduate scope and methods seminars. This highly accessible book provides a basic introduction to the nature of research questions and methods of empirical research in political science. It describes the cooperative process, as well as the logic of empirical measurement and analysis of observations, in the conception and pursuit of a research project. Emphasizing the design of interesting research questions and basic problems of measurement and data analysis, the book relies more on intuitive understanding than on formal development.

1. Doing Research.

2. Political Theories and Research Topics.

3. The Importance of Dimensional Thinking.

4. Problems of Measurement: Accuracy.

5. Problems of Measurement: Precision.

6. Causal Thinking and the Design of Research.

7. Selecting What Observations to Study.

8. Introduction to Statistics: Measuring Relationships for Interval Data.

10. Introduction to Statistics: Inference, or How to Gamble on Your Research.

11. Where Do Theories Come From?

Selected Bibliography.

Index.