Measurement Issues in the Study of Terrorism: Introducing the Special Issue

Abstract

In this article, we introduce readers to a special issue of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism on measurement issues in the study of terrorism. In recent years scholarly interest in terrorism has increased and systematic methods are now more commonly used. Terrorism works that analyze data highlight substantive findings as opposed to measurement issues. A study's substantive findings are only meaningful though if it correctly addresses the measurement issues that invariably arise during the research process. In addition to summarizing the eight articles in this special issue, we outline the strengths and weaknesses of various measurement strategies and assess their contributions to our understanding of terrorism. The major goal is to place the special issue's contributions in context and highlight under-explored issues that future research could address.