“Q Methodology” forthcoming in Sage’s Encyclopedia of Research Design

Steven Brown (Kent State University) and James Good (University of Durham) have been invited to co-author a 4000-word entry on “Q Methodology” in the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Research Design (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2009), edited by Neil J. Salkind, University of Kansas. The Encyclopedia will appear in three volumes and will contain approximately 560 entries. According to instructions to the authors, the Encyclopedia will be aimed at “undergraduates and graduates interested in experimental sciences, including social and behavioral sciences and biomedical sciences.” Given the following Encyclopedia Abstract, it is apparent that more emphasis than usual will have to be given to Q’s connection to the ideas of Fisher (on analysis of variance and experimental design) and Brunswik (on representative design) and to its experimental foundations, but also on the modifications that must be made in light of the importance that Stephenson attached to single-case design and of his substantive focus on subjectivity. Encyclopedia Abstract: Research design, with its statistical underpinnings, can be especially daunting for students and novice researchers. At its heart, research design might be described simply as a formalized approach toward problem solving, thinking, and acquiring knowledge, the success of which depends upon clearly defined objectives and appropriate choice of statistical design and analysis to meet those objectives. Our three-volume Encyclopedia of Research Design elucidates how one makes decisions about research design, interprets data and draws valid inferences, undertakes research projects in an ethical manner, and evaluates experimental design strategies and results. From A-to-Z, this work covers the spectrum of research design strategies and topics including, among other things: fundamental research design principles, ethics in the research process, quantitative versus qualitative and mixed-method designs, completely randomized designs, multiple comparison tests, diagnosing agreement between data and models, fundamental assumptions in analysis of variance, factorial treatment designs, complete and incomplete block designs, Latin square and related designs, hierarchical designs, response surface designs, split-plot designs, repeated measures designs, crossover designs, analysis of covariance, statistical software packages, and much more. It is worth noting that the original invitation was for a 3000-word contribution, which was the highest word allowance for any of the entries, but that once the editors were shown the growing interest in Q worldwide – especially the recent books written in Romanian, Korean, Persian, and Thai – the offer was changed to 4000 words (about 15 double-spaced, typewritten pages). At the moment, this is a larger allowable space than for any other entry, although this will no doubt change as the final project takes shape. Once published, the new encyclopedia entry will take its place alongside the others shown below. Recent Q Methodology Encyclopedia Entries Brown, Steven R. (2004). Q methodology. In Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Alan Bryman, & T.F. Liao (Eds.), The SAGE encyclopedia of social science research methods (Vol. 3, pp. 887-888). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Brown, Steven R. (in press). Q methodology. In Lisa M. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2008. (2000 words) Durning, Dan W. (in press). Q methodology. In Jack Rabin (Ed.), Encyclopedia for public administration and public policy. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2007. (3000 words) Good, James M.M. (2005). Stephenson, William (1902-1989). In John R. Shook (General Ed.), Dictionary of modern American philosophers (Vol. 4, pp. 2322-2323). Bristol, UK: Thoemmes Press. Good, James M.M. (2005). Stephenson, William. In Brian S. Everitt & David C. Howell (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Statistics in Behavioral Science (Vol. 4, pp. 1898-1900). Chichester, UK: John Wiley. Ozer, Daniel J. 2001. Q-sort technique. In W. Edward Craighead and Charles B. Nemeroff (Eds.), The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science (3rd ed., pp. 1359-1360). New York: Wiley. Rhoads, James C. (2007). Q methodology. In Neil J. Salkind (Ed.) and Kristin Rasmussen (Managing Ed.), Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics (Vol. 3, pp. 799-802). Thousand Oaks, CA, London, and New Delhi: Sage. Robbins, Paul (2005). Q methodology. In K. Kempf-Leonard (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social measurement (Vol. 3, pp. 209-215). San Diego: Elsevier.