Political Science Research in Practice
"Malici and Smith provide an extremely useful tool for introducing students to the empirical project in political science. The breadth of the methods covered is impressive: from in-depth interviews to comparative case studies, experimental surveys to content analysis, and from field studies to formal modeling. The authors not only report, but also reflect on, their research, giving the reader a feel for the process. What results is a set of insights that will enrich any introductory course on research design. This is a well-conceived and valuable contribution."—Francis Neely,San Francisco State University"This book fills an important gap between textbooks on research methodology and published works by professional researchers. What is missing between these two is the sometimes messy business of how research gets done. In this collection of works, using a full spectrum of methodological approaches, Malici and Smith have given students an important and rare opportunity to see what a published research project looks like from start to finish."—Guy D. Whitten,Texas A & M University"This book will provide a breath of fresh air to the current political science research methods textbook market. It departs from the standard ‘building block’ approach among existing political science research methods texts by providing a detailed anatomy of the logic and process of some of the most widely used methodological tools. It really teaches students how research is done."—Edward Yang,James Madison University"Political Science Research in Practiceprovides examples of various methods used by experienced and established scholars, but more importantly it breaks down the research process in each project step-by-step to help students understand how to apply the methods to real world problems. Malici and Smith provide a wide breadth of information on the most important research designs in the field and the substantive areas covered in the text address a wide range of topics that political science students will find useful and fascinating."—Kenneth Fernandez,University of Nevada-Las Vegas"Political Science Research in Practicedefinitely pushes the research methods textbook genre forward. Research methods can be quite intimidating, but this text goes a long way toward reducing student anxiety. Rather than an overly technical survey of the topic, it gives research methodology meaning and purpose. The clever weaving of concept instruction, with personal examples allows the authors to build a stronger relationship with the reader. Each chapter takes students on a step by step journey through the development of interesting and compelling examples of the authors’ research across the various subfields in political science. It is a valuable tutorial that speaks to student topical interests while engaging them to raise their curiosity about the technical side of the discipline."—Arnold Lewis,William Patterson University