Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Methods for Systematic Inquiry

This popular text, now in its second edition, arose from the author s inability to find a textbook that fully met her or her students' needs! Overly comprehensive texts generate blank faces, while excessively concise texts fail to fully meet the need for an effective depth of learning.
This text achieves a great balance between depth of coverage and readability, but balance is not the only reason this book is needed. Reflecting the movement toward evidence-based practice in audiology and speech-language pathology, the author has ensured that the concepts associated with evidence-based practice are integrated throughout the chapters (not just added as a separate chapter or course segment). Also included are features that help students be more active in learning the material. Each chapter has a set of review questions or case scenarios that can be used as homework, as probe questions in class, or as group activities. Importantly, the author has included lists of supplemental readings from the research literature in the field.
The second edition has been updated with new references and resources throughout. The chapter on research ethics was expanded to include broader coverage of responsible conduct of research and the impact of HIPAA. Additional information reflecting current practices in evidence-based practice has been added to the chapters on research questions, research design, statistics, and reporting research. The author has added two cases studies designed to promote discussion to the chapters on research ethics and quantitative research design. Tables illustrating example studies from communication sciences and disorders journals have been added to the chapters on non-experimental and experimental design, and the coverage of qualitative research designs has been expanded. Chapter 10 now includes a section on preparing a review of literature.
With its many added features and updated, enhanced content, Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Methods for Systematic Inquiry, is the ideal textbook for research-related courses.

Lauren K. Nelson, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Since coming to UNI in 1990, she has regularly taught courses in phonetics, articulation and phonological disorders, research methods, and augmentative communication. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Michigan University and a Master of Arts from Central Michigan University. After working for two years in an Iowa area education agency, she returned to school and completed her Ph.D. studies at Memphis State University (now University of Memphis).