Strategic Communication Research Methods
(Second Edition)
©2026, 330 pages
Paperback list price: $84.95
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Students learn why research is critical in professional contexts, the various approaches for conducting communication research, how to evaluate research effectively, and how to conduct their own research. Chapters cover the research process, sampling, ethics, observation, data analytics, surveys, interviews and focus groups, experiments, and how to analyze and present research results. Throughout, dynamic practice activities and real-world examples actively engage students and support the applied approach.
New to This Edition:
• Includes a new chapter on digital data analytics and big data (Chapter 10).
• Contains expanded information on analyzing qualitative and quantitative data (Chapters 12 and 13, which used to be combined in Chapter 11).
• Incorporates contemporary research and examples designed to resonate with today's learners.
Straightforward, accessible, and highly practical, this text helps students recognize the valuable role of research in the development and assessment of communication strategies.
Explore the differences in the tables of contents between the first and second editions.
Marianne Dainton (Ph.D., The Ohio State University) is a professor emerita of communication at La Salle University. Dr. Dainton is the author/coauthor of Group Communication for Professional Life, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life, and Strategic Communication Research Methods.
Pamela J. Lannutti (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is a professor and the director of the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University. Dr. Lannutti is the author of the award-winning Experiencing Same-Sex Marriage: Individuals, Couples, and Social Networks and past editor of Communication Quarterly. Her research has appeared in top communication and interdisciplinary journals.
Other Cognella titles by Marianne Dainton:Cognella Active Learning is available for this title! Adopting instructors can provide students with dynamic online learning activities that reinforce key concepts from the text, provide engaging educational experiences, and support various learning styles.
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The Cognella Active Learning content for Strategic Communication Research includes:
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Adopting instructors will receive PowerPoints, test banks, sample syllabi, and a list of additional videos and readings.
Praise for the Previous Edition:
"I really appreciated the approachable writing style and the reasonable chapter length. …. From the beginning, students are welcomed to the world of research in an approachable way. ...The Dainton & Lannutti textbook really excels at providing examples that are fun and engaging to students, and that simplify concepts that might otherwise be difficult to grasp. …. The book also is excellent at providing activities at the end of each chapter that help reinforce ideas in students’ minds through practice. ...Ethics chapters in many textbooks tend to focus on the same abhorrent studies, but these don’t necessarily connect with students in a useful way that draws attention to the kinds of real-world ethical challenges they will face. This book was a notable exception, focusing from the opening page on relevant, recent examples …. This chapter stays very valuably grounded in real-world contexts and professional codes of conduct. ...Overall, this textbook is incredibly valuable to new generations of students who may or may not know much about what strategic communication professionals do. It makes research that could otherwise be quite heavy and intimidating very approachable and even enjoyable. I think the focus on shorter chapter length plus activities really helps support these goals; this book is not teaching students that they have to be *perfect* at research in order to dive in. They just have to be open and curious!"
Amanda K. Kehrberg, Arizona State University
"I was originally attracted by its focus on strategic communication. There are only a few books out there targeting that group and most of the others are written at a level higher than my students can comprehend. … I also liked that their definition of strategic communication includes internal/organizational communication. The other books in this limited area are written by mass communication folks who fail to recognize that organizational communication is also part of strategic communication. ...This is a very applied book. This really helps to convince students in the class that this is something they need to know. ...The “steps” in the research process is something that the students can understand and follow. They like step-by-step directions for something that they perceive as challenging. ...This text holds a pretty unique position in the market. There are only a few strategic communication texts, and I think there’s a pretty good argument that this one is the best undergraduate text for students who may not be predisposed to enjoy this topic."
Chuck Lubbers, University of South Dakota
"Great examples used throughout; very readable, not dry. … Very practical approach – how this will be applied in our work, why it is necessary and how it can help; respect for theory-driven research, but also for applied research. I found [the book’s] overall message in the first chapter nicely mirrored my approach to selling [students] on research and showing how powerful it can be (or destructive if skipped). ...I love the way it covers a range of strategic communication professions. Every comms major could find some applicability. ...The step by step approach fits my pedagogical style as well. The charts that summarize the comparisons or steps are also helpful to reinforce the big picture. ...I think this text is one of the best I have read in my search for a PR/Adv applicable methods book. ...[Dainton & Lannutti] give the students an excellent toolkit to draw upon in the future; it manages to be comprehensive but in a compact and manageable way."
Juliet L. Stantz, DePaul University
"What I liked about this text is that it is about strategic com research. It was easy for me to read and the use of color and bolded highlights in the text made it super easy. The writing is clear and students understand it. ...Overall, the entire text is simple and easy to use. Even as I went back through the text to write my comments, I was surprised by how much info was packed into easily digestible chunks. ...[T]here’s an elegance to the simplicity that I appreciate, and I think my students do, too."
Katrina Neely Farren-Eller, Loras College
"[The Dainton & Lannutti text] breaks concepts down into easily understandable, bite-sized pieces. It covers most all information necessary for student learning but doesn’t make it overly complicated and complex. The book is an easy read for students and provides good examples and activities for better understanding."
Lee Bush, Elon University
"The writing is inviting, and the examples are relevant and relatable. … I appreciate the informational boxes to summarize and order supplemental content. The information is timely with recent and relevant examples used to highlight learning concepts. The writing/language is likely to be understood by upper undergraduate students. The end of the chapter “Practice activities” are excellent instructional resources."
Alicia M. Mason, Pittsburg State University
"I really appreciated the approachable writing style and the reasonable chapter length. …. From the beginning, students are welcomed to the world of research in an approachable way. ...The Dainton & Lannutti textbook really excels at providing examples that are fun and engaging to students, and that simplify concepts that might otherwise be difficult to grasp. …. The book also is excellent at providing activities at the end of each chapter that help reinforce ideas in students’ minds through practice. ...Ethics chapters in many textbooks tend to focus on the same abhorrent studies, but these don’t necessarily connect with students in a useful way that draws attention to the kinds of real-world ethical challenges they will face. This book was a notable exception, focusing from the opening page on relevant, recent examples …. This chapter stays very valuably grounded in real-world contexts and professional codes of conduct. ...Overall, this textbook is incredibly valuable to new generations of students who may or may not know much about what strategic communication professionals do. It makes research that could otherwise be quite heavy and intimidating very approachable and even enjoyable. I think the focus on shorter chapter length plus activities really helps support these goals; this book is not teaching students that they have to be *perfect* at research in order to dive in. They just have to be open and curious!"
Amanda K. Kehrberg, Arizona State University
"I was originally attracted by its focus on strategic communication. There are only a few books out there targeting that group and most of the others are written at a level higher than my students can comprehend. … I also liked that their definition of strategic communication includes internal/organizational communication. The other books in this limited area are written by mass communication folks who fail to recognize that organizational communication is also part of strategic communication. ...This is a very applied book. This really helps to convince students in the class that this is something they need to know. ...The “steps” in the research process is something that the students can understand and follow. They like step-by-step directions for something that they perceive as challenging. ...This text holds a pretty unique position in the market. There are only a few strategic communication texts, and I think there’s a pretty good argument that this one is the best undergraduate text for students who may not be predisposed to enjoy this topic."
Chuck Lubbers, University of South Dakota
"Great examples used throughout; very readable, not dry. … Very practical approach – how this will be applied in our work, why it is necessary and how it can help; respect for theory-driven research, but also for applied research. I found [the book’s] overall message in the first chapter nicely mirrored my approach to selling [students] on research and showing how powerful it can be (or destructive if skipped). ...I love the way it covers a range of strategic communication professions. Every comms major could find some applicability. ...The step by step approach fits my pedagogical style as well. The charts that summarize the comparisons or steps are also helpful to reinforce the big picture. ...I think this text is one of the best I have read in my search for a PR/Adv applicable methods book. ...[Dainton & Lannutti] give the students an excellent toolkit to draw upon in the future; it manages to be comprehensive but in a compact and manageable way."
Juliet L. Stantz, DePaul University
"What I liked about this text is that it is about strategic com research. It was easy for me to read and the use of color and bolded highlights in the text made it super easy. The writing is clear and students understand it. ...Overall, the entire text is simple and easy to use. Even as I went back through the text to write my comments, I was surprised by how much info was packed into easily digestible chunks. ...[T]here’s an elegance to the simplicity that I appreciate, and I think my students do, too."
Katrina Neely Farren-Eller, Loras College
"[The Dainton & Lannutti text] breaks concepts down into easily understandable, bite-sized pieces. It covers most all information necessary for student learning but doesn’t make it overly complicated and complex. The book is an easy read for students and provides good examples and activities for better understanding."
Lee Bush, Elon University
"The writing is inviting, and the examples are relevant and relatable. … I appreciate the informational boxes to summarize and order supplemental content. The information is timely with recent and relevant examples used to highlight learning concepts. The writing/language is likely to be understood by upper undergraduate students. The end of the chapter “Practice activities” are excellent instructional resources."
Alicia M. Mason, Pittsburg State University
