"This book is a must for learning about the experimental design-from forming a research question to interpreting the results this text covers it all."

-Sarah El Sayed, University of Texas at Arlington

Designing Experiments for the Social Sciences: How to Plan, Create, and Execute Research Using Experiments is a practical, applied text for courses in experimental design. The text assumes that students have just a basic knowledge of the scientific method, and no statistics background is required. With its focus on how to effectively design experiments, rather than how to analyze them, the book concentrates on the stage where researchers are making decisions about procedural aspects of the experiment before interventions and treatments are given.

Renita Coleman walks readers step-by-step on how to plan and execute experiments from the beginning by discussing choosing and collecting a sample, creating the stimuli and questionnaire, doing a manipulation check or pre-test, analyzing the data, and understanding and interpreting the results. Guidelines for deciding which elements are best used in the creation of a particular kind of experiment are also given. This title offers rich pedagogy, ethical considerations, and examples pertinent to all social science disciplines.

About the Author
Renita Coleman has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida, a master's and Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on ethics, framing and agenda setting with a special focus on visual communication. She has studied the effects of photographs on ethical reasoning, the framing and attribution of responsibility in health news, and the moral development of journalists and public relations practitioners, among other topics. She has published more than 40 peer reviewed articles in academic journals including Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Journalism, and Journalism Studies. She has two co-authored books, "Image and Emotion In Voter Decisions: The Affect Agenda," in 2015, and "The Moral Media: How Journalists Reason About Ethics" in 2005. Before beginning her academic career, Coleman was a journalist at newspapers and magazines for 15 years. She was a reporter, editor, and designer at the Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer, the Sarasota FL Herald-Tribune, and the Orlando, FL Sentinel among other news organizations. Coleman teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics, lifestyle journalism, and experimental design.

Reviews
"This book offers many examples and hands-on instruction that can help students learn how to conduct experiments." -- Francis O. Adeola
"This book is a must for learning about the experimental design-from forming a research question to interpreting the results, this text covers it all." -- Sarah El Sayed
"This text provides students with an excellent explanation of experimental methodology: not just descriptions of elements of the experiment method, but understanding of where those elements came from, how and why they work together, and how students can become scholars." -- Kyle J. Holody
"This is a comprehensive text on experiments, clearly and engagingly written, with many excellent examples. Renita Coleman has included everything the student will need to develop, design, and execute a methodologically-sound experiment." -- Glenn Leshner
"This textbook is detailed and well organized, with each topic progressing logically to build on foundational knowledge. Students will find it easy to master research concepts, and practice using the exercises and examples provided. The 'Study Spotlight' scenarios and practical examples are effective tools to demonstrate research designs, and the 'Test Your Knowledge Quizzes' reinforce student learning." -- Janet Reid-Hector

"This book is well-written and readable. If you need to grasp concepts of experimental designs, this book guides you as to what the experimental designs are, and what you should keep in mind in conducting your studies."

-- Ji-Hoon Ryoo



Book Information
ISBN 9781506377322
Author Renita Coleman
Format Paperback
Page Count 408
Imprint SAGE Publications Inc
Publisher SAGE Publications Inc
Weight(grams) 720g