This textbook provides a comprehensive, balanced introduction to communication research methods. Designed for students who have little or no familiarity with research methods, this book helps them to become more knowledgeable and competent consumers (and producers) of scholarly research and of the everyday research to which they are exposed by the mass media. Praised for its accessible writing and extensive real-life examples, this text takes students step-by-step through the communication research process. Investigating Communication teaches students how communication research is conducted from start to finish, with the text's organization modeled after a traditional research study. By making the material accessible rather than impossible to learn, students become excited about studying research methods.