ABSTRACT
The issue of health research is one that often transcends a single discipline. Researchers from a variety of fields and experiences can often find themselves working together to understand a specific aspect of health within the world at large. While the interdisciplinary nature of health research is both important and exciting, it also potentially brings with it some complications. Individuals with backgrounds in psychology, medicine, human development, public health, sociology, and communication not only have unique experience and knowledge that they can offer, but they also have different research training, terminology, and perspectives on how research should be conducted. To complicate matters even further, general trends within specific health-related fields can often focus on specific methodological techniques (e.g., design and analyses) at the exclusion of other research tools. To this end, the purpose of this chapter is to provide individuals interested in conducting health research (and, particularly, health communication research) with the prevailing practices, concerns, and terminology so they are equipped to conduct sound and beneficial investigations.
