Evaluating Research in Communicative Disorders: International Edition

A carefully organized and engaging comprehensive guide to analyzing research articles.   Extensively revised and updated in its sixth edition, Evaluating Research in Communicative Disorders teaches both students and practitioners to read, understand, and evaluate research published in communicative sciences and disorders journals. With an emphasis on scientific principals and scientific inquiry, this richly illustrated and interactive text provides a solid foundation for clinical practice for all levels of readers by linking research information on treatment efficacy to direct clinical applications.   The sixth edition of Evaluating Research in Communicative Disorders has been reorganized to reflect the structure typically found in a research articles. Accompanied by helpful tables and figures, each chapter begins with an outline and concludes with a list of key terms and a newly developed set of study questions.

Table of Contents:
<>Preface 1 Research and Practice in Communicative Disorders Knowledge Acquisition The Scientific Method           Scientific Theory           The Conduct of Scientific Research                    Statement of the Problem                    Method of Investigation                    Results of Investigation                    Conclusions The Nature of Research in Communicative Disorders           Evidence-Based Practice           Research—Practice Relationships                    Research-Driven Relationships                    Practice-Driven Relationships                    Shared-Interest Relationships The Editorial Process in the Publication of a Research Article The Challenge of Cyberspace           Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Information Sources           The Knowledge-Base of the Reader Key Terms Study Questions References   2 The Introduction Section of the Research Article The Nature of Technical Writing Components of the Introduction           General Statement of the Problem           The Rationale for the Study                    Arguments                    Fallacies           Review of the Literature Research Questions and Hypotheses Limitations of the Study Example: Introduction to a Research Study Key Terms Study Questions References Evaluation Checklist: Introduction Section   3 Research Strategies in Communicative Disorders Quantitative Research           Variables in Empirical Research                    Independent and Dependent Variables                    Active and Attribute Variables                    Continuous and Categorical Variables           Experimental Research                    Bivalent Experiments                    Multivalent Experiments                    Parametric Experiments           Descriptive Research                    Comparative Research                    Developmental Research                    Correlational Research                    Survey Research                    Retrospective Research           Combined Experimental and Descriptive Research           The Title of a Quantitative Research Article Qualitative Research           Types of Qualitative Research                    Observational Research                    Interview Research                    Narrative Research                    Case Study Research           The Title of a Qualitative Research Article Mixed-Methods Research Key Terms Study Questions References Evaluation Checklist: The Title   4 Research Design in Communicative Disorders Quantitative Research Design           Group Research Designs                    Between-Subjects Designs                    Within-Subjects Designs                    Mixed Designs           Single-Subject Research Designs                    Withdrawal and Reversal Designs                    Multiple-Baseline Designs                    Changing-Criterion Designs Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research Design Validity Issues in Research Design           Internal Validity                    Control of Variability                    Credibility            External Validity                    Generalizability                    Transferability Pilot Research Key Terms Study Questions References   5 The Method Section of the Research Article Components of the Method Section           Subjects (Participants)                      Models and Specimens                    Sample Size                    Selection Criteria                    Protection of Subjects and Participants           Materials                    Data Acquisition                    Levels of Measurement                    Reliability of Measurements                    Validity of Measurements                    Instrumentation                                        Behavioral Instruments           Procedure                    Tasks and Protocol                    Appropriateness of Measurement                    Data Analysis Key Terms Study Questions References Evaluation Checklist: Method Section   6 The Results Section of the Research Article Organization of Quantitative Results           Data Distributions                    Tabular and Graphic Presentations           Descriptive Statistics                    Measures of Central Tendency                    Measures of Variability                    Measures of Skewness                    Measures of Kurtosis           Some Characteristics of Clear Data Organization Data Analysis           The Normal Curve Model                    Parametric and Nonparametric Statistics           Bivariate Descriptive Statistics                    Describing Relationships           Statistical Significance                    Testing a Null Hypothesis                Correlational Analysis                    Analyzing Relationships           Inferential Statistics                    Analyzing Differences                    Effect Size and the Power of Statistical Tests           Some Characteristics of Clear Data Analysis Data Display           Some Characteristics of Clear Data Display Key Terms Study Questions References Evaluation Checklist: Results Section   7 The Discussion and Conclusions Section of the Research Article Organization of the Discussion and Conclusions Section           Relationship of Conclusions to Preceding Parts of the Article                    The Research Problem                    The Method of Investigation                    The Results of the Investigation           Relationship of Results to Previous Research           Limitations of the Research Study           Implications of the Research Study                    Theoretical Implications                    Practical Implications                    Implications for Future Research The Abstract of the Research Article Key Terms Study Questions References Evaluation Checklist: Discussion and Conclusions   8 Evaluating Treatment Efficacy Research Evidence-Based Practice           Generalizability of Research Findings                    Randomization                    Sample Size                    Systematic Replication           Levels of Evidence                    Framing the Question Experimental Designs for Studying Treatment Efficacy           Pre-Experimental Designs                    One-Shot Case Study Design                    One-Group Pretest—Posttest Design                    Static-Group Comparison Design           Quasi-Experimental Designs                    Nonequivalent Control-Group Design                    Time-Series Designs           True Experimental Designs                    Randomized Pretest—Posttest Control-Group Designs                    Solomon Randomized Four-Group Design           Ethics of Using Control Groups in Treatment Efficacy Research Systematic Reviews           Meta-Analysis of Treatment Efficacy Research           Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Key Terms Study Questions References   Appendix A:  Complete Evaluation Checklist Appendix B:  A Compendium of Journals in Communicative Sciences and Disorders Appendix C:  Proclamation of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Health Council   Subject Index

About the Author :
Robert F. Orlikoff, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at West Virginia University. He has extensive experience as a researcher, clinician, and educator and has served as an associate editor and reviewer for several journals in communicative sciences and disorders.

Review :
"I intend to continue with this book for the time being.  I think the writing style and examples are perfect for students just learning how to critically evaluate research." -- Elaine Shuey, East Stroudsburg University    "I have been using this text (from the first through fifth edition) ever since I started teaching this course in 1984. I believe it is a solid text — I continue to use portions of it in my lectures and power point presentations."  -- James Mahshie, Gallaudet University