Political methodology

Political methodology is a subfield of political science that studies the quantitative and qualitative methods used to study politics. Quantitative methods combine statistics, mathematics, and formal theory. Political methodology is often used for positive research, in contrast to normative research. Psephology, a skill or technique within political methodology, is the "quantitative analysis of elections and balloting". Political methodology is often published in the "top 3" journals (American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Journal of Politics), in sub-field journals, and in methods-focused journals.