Mapping Texts: Computational Text Analysis for the Social Sciences (Computational Social Science)

Overall: This book is a wonderful resource. What I appreciate most about Mapping Texts its accessibility and practical guidance. Stoltz and Taylor break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand language, making it perfect for beginners like me. They also provide a clear roadmap and practical guidance to help apply the concepts to your own work. The tone is also a little funny and quirky, which I love! (I don't like when authors take themselves too seriously...especially with complex topics that can already be intimidating.)Accessibility: From the first page, I was drawn in by their clear explanations and real-world examples that brought the concepts to life. Ranging from presidential speeches and Frankenstein to Star Trek and GameStop, the examples really add a layer of fun to the learning process! Overall, the authors have a real talent for making even the most complex ideas seem approachable.Practical Guidance: This book also includes really helpful practical guidance to guide you through your own textual analysis. Using the examples, it walks you through the actual R code. It also gives little "recipes" for R packages you need and insightful (and sometimes funny) footnotes in the margins. With all of these tools and insights, you're equipped with everything you need to embark on your text analysis adventure! Whether you're a seasoned researcher or just starting out, this book is a must-have addition to your library.Highly recommend!!

- Mapping Texts offers a practical introduction to computational text analysis with step-by-step guides on how to conduct actual text analysis workflows in the R statistical computing environment. The book should prove useful not only to social scientists, but anyone interested in conducting text analysis projects—such as data analysts in business and government agencies.