Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : research as a process -- Building theories and hypotheses -- Developing your literature review -- Designing your research and choosing your methods -- From abstract to concrete : operationalization and measurement -- Research design : attributing causation through control -- Who, what, where, when : the problem of sampling -- Survey research : characterizing a broader population -- Creating complex indicators : using scaling techniques -- Content analysis : researching textual material -- Aggregate data : studying groups -- Comparative methods : research across populations -- Coding data : preparing observations for analysis -- Tables and charts : visually describing the data -- Statistics I : summarizing distributions on one variable -- Statistics II : relationships between two variables -- Statistics III : relationships among several variables -- Direct observation : systematically watching behavior -- Focus group research -- Elite and specialized interviewing -- The research report : diagramming a sample article -- Summary : overview of a research process.

'Empirical Political Analysis' introduces readers to the foundations of social science research. Organised around the stages of the research process, this textbook prepares readers to conduct both quantitative and qualitative research, from the formulation of theory through the design of research projects, to the collection of data and the analysis of results. It offers a clear and concise presentation of basic concepts and tools that can be applied in a wide range of research settings, and highlights ethical conduct in the research process. It will help you both to achieve sound results in your own research and to critically evaluate research presented by others.