ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book seeks to instruct researchers in training and even seasoned researchers about the research process in communication science. The research process in communication science can be an incredibly rewarding, yet often frustrating experience. It begins with an idea and often ends with a finished paper, report, or presentation. The current treatment relies on the authors themselves to detail the decision-making process that unfolded during the research associated with an exemplary study in the communication literature. The current book owes a tremendous debt to a previously published edited volume titled Doing Exemplary Research by Frost and Stablein (1992). Very often, studies begin as a logical extension of an earlier study or idea published in the literature or presented at a scholarly convention. Clearly, theory testing is the primary purpose of conducting research in communication or in science in general.
