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Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-1
Chapter 2
The Research Process: Getting Started
Activity: Examining the Deductive and Inductive Research Models
Ask students to review the deductive and inductive research models presented in Chapter 2 (Figures 2.1
and 2.2). Students should identify questions they have about each part of the research process using the
models as a guide. Ask colleagues to visit your class so that students can ask them their questions about
the steps they took in developing and conducting the research.
Activity: Getting Comfortable with Library Resources
Give students a list of 5–10 scholarly references (from your own research or that of a colleague, from a
favorite research article, or for the class project the students will work on later in the term). Each student
is responsible for locating three of the references, and writing a brief overview of the article (indicating
what the study is about and its major findings). Many instructors like to conduct this activity during class
Activity: Knowing When to Stop the Search
Generally, when instructors assign students a library search activity, the goal is to find X or Y, or to find,
for example, five articles about the role of communication in leadership. These activities are excellent for
getting students into the library (or on to the library website) and becoming more familiar with the
research literature. But they do not help students identify when enough’s enough. (You know they are
Activity: Generating Research Ideas
Assign students to small groups for the task of generating research ideas and, perhaps, even initial
research questions. One group could be assigned to watch network news for several days. Another
group could be assigned to watch what’s trending on Twitter. A third group of students could be
assigned to track the entries on several blogs or websites. Assign the fourth group of students to review
the textbooks from their other communication courses. Groups should be given time to share their ideas
and then create a top 5 list of research topics or questions that can be presented to the entire class.
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-2
Activity: Getting Up Close and Personal with the Communication Journals
Have students select two journals from the following list:
Communication Quarterly
Communication Studies
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
Journal of Communication
Ask students to examine both physical copies of the journal and the journals’ website. They should be
prepared to answer the following questions for each journal since 2010:
1. Who were the editors? From what schools?
2. Who publishes the journal?
3. Are the articles quantitative or qualitative? Both?
4. Are there any special issues? On what topics?
5. How many articles are published in a year?
6. Is this journal indexed in the Social Science Citation Index?
7. Are you surprised by the topics of the articles?
Activity: Assessing Online Resources
Evaluating online sources is difficult. Based on the ideas of Susan Miller-Cochran (North Carolina State
University) and Rochelle Rodrigo (Maricopa Community College), this set of questions can help students
determine the validity and credibility of online sources.
1. Is the work/essay/article reviewed by someone with authority prior to its publication?
2. Is the work/essay/article reviewed by others in the same profession?
3. Is the work/essay/article published by the author?
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-3
Additional Resources
Hosek, A. M. (2016). Teaching engaged research literacy: A description and assessment of the Research
Ripped from the Headlines project. Communication Teacher, 30, 45-56.
doi:10.1080/17404622.2015.1102302
Using the premise that students are everyday consumers of research, Professor Hosek describes a
semester-long project (but low-stakes activity) in which students identify a research study presented in
Smith, K. J. K., & Ferris, S. P. (2017). Using restaurant reviews to teach how to write literature reviews.
Activity: Building the Research Project
I use the following to help guide students through the process of developing a research idea. This works
well for both individual and group projects.
My research project intends to (select one):
• explore the relationship between ______________ and _________________.
• look for differences in _________________ based on __________________.
The variables I’ll study are:
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
So, I need to familiarize myself with the following literature:
• ____________________
• ____________________
• ____________________
What argument do I need to develop to bring these issues together?
Activity: Reading a Journal Article
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-4
understand the difference, I ask students to bring an easy-to-read journal article (e.g., Communication
Studies, Communication Quarterly, Communication Research Reports) to class. I use the table below to help
them trace the RQ or H through to author’s conclusions. I demonstrate this with one article in class, and
then ask students to work on the article they brought with them. Finally, I put students into groups so
they can see what others found.
RQ or H
What did the author say
about this RQ or H in the
Results section?
What did the author say
about this RQ or H in the
Discussion section?
How does this
information extend,
contribute to, or
challenge information
presented in the
literature review
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-5
Worksheet—Getting Started in the Research Process
Select any journal article about any communication phenomenon. Use that article to answer the ques-
tions on this worksheet. Attach a copy of the article to the completed worksheet.
1. Using the deductive research model for quantitative articles and the inductive research model
2. Checking the reference list of your article, identify which journal appears most often. Identify the
3. Using the article in #2, search for the article on the library databases. Which databases include
that article (as a citation, abstract, and full text of the article)?
4. Using the topic of the article in #2 in a keyword search, find another article on that topic in
5. What other keywords could you use to search for similar articles?
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-6
Worksheet—Using Conversation to Develop the Literature Review
After you have identified 5–10 journal articles that are relevant to your research project, use these
conversational questions to help in developing the literature review.
1. So tell me, what is your research about?
2. Why did you choose this particular topic?
3. What do you hope to achieve with this research project?
4. I don’t know much about this topic or area of research; how would you describe it to me?
Keyton: Communication Research, 5e IM-7
Additional Resources
Andrews, U. (2013). House rules: Using the television series “House” to teach research ethics.
Communication Teacher, 27, 152-155. doi:10.1080/17404622.2013.782417
Lauricella, S. (2009). “Is this for real?”: Web literacy for the web-savvy. Communication Teacher, 23, 137-
141. doi:10.1080/17404620903218809
This article on validity information from the web presents an activity that can easily be adapted to
doi:10.1080/17404620802382698
Professor Waldeck describes an approach for using Communication Currents
(https://www.natcom.org/communication-currents) to help students develop research project ideas.
Web Resources
For a list of Internet resources, visit https://www.joannkeyton.com/research-methods
