Comprehensive, innovative, and focused on the undergraduate student, this textbook prepares students to read and conduct research. Using an engaging how-to approach that draws from scholarship, real-life, and popular culture, the book offers students practical reasons why they should care about research methods and a guide to actually conduct research themselves. Examining quantitative, qualitative, and critical research methods, the textbook helps undergraduate students better grasp the theoretical and practical uses of method by clearly illustrating practical applications. The book defines all the main research traditions, illustrates key methods used in communication research, and provides level-appropriate applications of the methods through theoretical and practical examples and exercises, including sample student papers that demonstrate research methods in action. "I absolutely love[the] text Understanding Communication Research Methods. I usually pull things from a number of different texts when teaching research methods but that is no longer needed! The text is well written, rigorous but in language that my undergraduate students can understand and grapple with. Many of the supplemental materials are more helpful than I ever imagined." -Kesha Morant Williams, Penn State University "Overall, it's like a gift to not only students but also instructors by compiling this insightful and user-friendly exploration of the somewhat bewildering and confusing concepts on Research Methods." - Chin-Chung (Joy) Chao, Asst. Prof., Communication, University of Nebraska Omaha "This is an accessible text book. It does not frighten students but prepares them to understand the variety of ways they have available to them to study communication." - Pamela J. Kalbfleisch, Prof., Communication and Psychology, University of North Dakota "The most valuable feature of this innovative and very accessible book in my mind is the student papers, a feature that is not found in other textbooks."- Ramune Braziunaite, Lecturer, Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University "The examples and sample student papers make the content tangible to students. This textbook covers important issues and methods, and it is written at the right level for undergraduate students." - Yuping Mao, Asst. Prof., Media and Communication, Erasmus Universteit Rotterdam "I think this book effectively wraps theory, method, and practice opportunities in both the quantitative and qualitative approaches, something I have not seen done so thoroughly in communication research method books in the market."- Sudeshna Roy, Assoc. Prof., Communication Studies, Stephen F. Austin State University "I feel the authors' emphasis on speaking to students who are at an early stage in their undergraduate study works. The exercises and sample student assignments would, I think, really help my students learn how to actually apply the material introduced in the course." - Frédérik Lesage, Asst. Prof., Communication, Simon Fraser University