Turning reading into research: Researching literature through its reception. Research Methods in Literary Reception Studies is the first handbook to offer a systematic, hands-on guide to the study of literary reception. It shows how scholars can examine readers’ responses to literature, as well as how texts are evaluated, discussed, rewarded, and circulated across social and institutional settings. By combining empirical, sociological, digital, and text-focused approaches, the book offers clear guidance on research design, data collection, and analysis. Each chapter offers step-by-step methodological instructions and illustrates these through a concrete case study. Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, and written for advanced students and researchers, this handbook provides a comprehensive methodological toolbox for studying literature as a cultural practice. Research Methods in Literary Reception Studies is the first handbook to offer a systematic, hands-on guide to the study of literary reception. It shows how scholars can examine readers’ responses to literature, as well as how texts are evaluated, discussed, rewarded, and circulated across social and institutional settings. By combining empirical, sociological, digital, and text-focused approaches, the book offers clear guidance on research design, data collection, and analysis. Each chapter offers step-by-step methodological instructions and illustrates these through a concrete case study. Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, and written for advanced students and researchers, this handbook provides a comprehensive methodological toolbox for studying literature as a cultural practice. Chapter 1. Introduction Jeroen Dera, Anne Oerlemans and Frederik Van Dam PART I. EMPIRICAL METHODS Chapter 2. Designing Self-Completion Questionnaires in Literary Reception Research Jeroen Dera Chapter 3. Using Interviews in Literary Reception Research Jeroen Dera Chapter 4. Using Focus Groups in Literary Reception Research Helleke van den Braber Chapter 5. Analysing Elicitation Data in Literary Reception Research Jeroen Dera and Helleke van den Braber PART II. SOCIOLOGICAL METHODS Chapter 6. Field Theory: Researching and Mapping the Literary Field Anne Oerlemans Chapter 7. Posture Analysis Jos Joosten Chapter 8. Material Analysis and Book History Methods Alicia C. Montoya PART III. DIGITAL METHODS Chapter 9. Literary Evaluation and Argumentation Analysis Esther Op de Beek and Bea Ros Chapter 10. Computer-Assisted Qualitative Analysis Dennis Kersten and Usha Wilbers Chapter 11. Computational Analysis: Fanfiction as Literary Reception Julia Neugarten Chapter 12. Corpus Analysis: Distant Reading Digitized Periodicals Maaike Koffeman PART IV. TEXT-FOCUSED METHODS Chapter 13. Literary Discourse Analysis Aukje van Hout Chapter 14. Close Reading and Reception Studies Frederik Van Dam Chapter 15. Translation as Reception Elke Brems and Jan Ceuppens Glossary Contributors