The growth of journalism education and other practical courses of study in the Post-Civil War period came at a time when the state university was being established and defined in the mid west and west, where frontier democracy and frontier materialism would help to support a practical materialism would help to support a practical-oriented popular institution. This text begins with an overview of mass communication research and ethics of research. It then explores each major approach to research, content analysis, longitudinal research and experimental research. This text effectively presents both principles and techniques of research methods in a totally mass media and journalism oriented context. The text presents the research process and enables students to understand analysis and reports from secondary sources.