Abstract
We propose a framework for understanding how quantitative researchers typically seek to contribute to theory and generalizable knowledge in communication, noting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches typically used. The major approaches are described, and a content analysis of articles from four issues each of Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, and Communication Research spanning parts of 2008 and 2009 provides information about their relative frequency of use in the field. We discuss how these categories can be employed by researchers when conceptualizing and articulating the theoretical contributions planned in their research and by reviewers, editors, and researchers in critically assessing such contributions in the work of others.
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