Includes bibliographical references and index.

Designing research can be daunting and disorienting for novices. After experiencing this first hand, author Douglas Woodwell has written Research Foundations: How Do We Know What We Know?,a book that shows how to mentally frame research in a way that is understandable and approachable while also discussing some of the more specific issues that will aid the reader in understanding the options available. Stressing the link between research and theory-building, this concise book shows students how new knowledge is discovered through the process of research. The author presents a model that ties together research processes across the various traditions and shows how different types of research interrelate. The book is sophisticated in its presentation, but uses plain language to provide an explanation of higher-level concepts in an engaging manner. Throughout the book, the author treats research methodologies as a blueprint for answering a wide range of interesting questions, rather than simply a set of tools to be applied. The book is an excellent guide for students who will be consumers of research and who need to understand how theory and research interrelate.

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Visualizing Research -- Introduction -- Visualizing Research -- The Research Question -- The Process of Research -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions -- ch. 2 Finding and Organizing Information -- Introduction -- Observation -- First-Person Observation: Seeing It Yourself -- Qualitative Approaches to First-Person Observation -- Quantitative Observational Studies and Instruments -- "Media"-ted Data Collection: Obtaining Data From the Middleman -- Qualitative Mediated Observation: Episodic Records -- Quantitative Mediated Observation: Running Records and Content Analysis -- Opinion Seeking: Interviews and Polling/Surveys -- Qualitative Opinion Seeking: Interviews -- Quantitative Opinion Seeking: Surveys/Polling -- Samples and Strategies in Polling Research -- Survey Instrument Design -- Description -- Classification and Conceptualization -- "Grounding" Theory -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions -- Appendix to Chapter 2: Literature Reviews -- ch. 3 Causal Theory -- Introduction -- What Is Causal Theory? -- Deriving Theories Inductively and Deductively -- Inductive Reasoning -- Deductive Reasoning -- Qualitative and Quantitative Theory and Research -- Qualitative Theory and Research -- Quantitative Theory and Research -- Mixed Methods -- Theoretical Levels of Analysis -- Main Traditions in Theory Building in the Social Sciences -- The Interpretivist Tradition: Microlevel Induction -- Rational Choice Theory: Micro- and Macrolevel Deductions -- Structuralism: Macrolevel Deduction -- Behavioralism, Positivism, and Realism: Inductive Midlevel Analysis -- Building a Theoretical Argument -- Deductive Argumentation: Syllogisms, Conditional Logic, and Mathematics -- Inductive Argumentation: Four Steps for Building a Convincing Argument -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions -- Appendix to Chapter 3: Prisoner's Dilemma: A Simple Example of Formal, Rational Choice Theory -- ch. 4 Preparing to Test Hypotheses -- Introduction -- A Typology of Variables -- Theoretical Models -- Hypotheses -- Operationalization and Measurement -- Validity, Reliability, and Precision: In Research Projects and in Measurement -- Validity and Reliability in Research Projects -- Validity of Measurements -- Reliability of Measurements -- Precision of Measurements -- Experimental Data Collection -- Quasi- and Natural Experiments -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions -- ch. 5 Testing Hypotheses -- Introduction -- Hypothesis Testing and the Limits of Qualitative Research -- Hypothesis Testing Through Critical Tests -- Hypothesis Testing Through Statistical Analysis -- Statistical Significance -- Effect Size and Direction -- Types of Statistical Tests -- Regression Analysis -- Ordinary Least Squares -- Heteroscedasticity and Other Big Words -- Regression With "Limited Dependent Variables" -- Logit -- Probit -- Ordered Logit and Probit -- Poisson and Negative Binomial Regression -- Survival Models -- Cross-Tabulation Analysis -- Difference-of-Means Tests and ANOVA -- What Does It Look Like? -- Data Dredging and Hypothesis Testing -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions -- ch. 6 Applying Theory and Evaluating the "Real World" -- Introduction -- The Varied Nature of "Case Study" Research -- Case Study Purpose Number 1: Understanding Theory Better -- Case Study Purpose Number 2: Understanding a Case Better -- Structured-Focused Analysis/Interpretative Case Study Research -- Simulations -- Theory Into Action: Praxis and Best Practices -- Research as a Cyclical Process -- Conclusion -- Discussion Questions.