Social Research
Social scientists (e.g. political scientists, sociologists, economists etc.) study both how things are and why to come to a better understanding of the world in their particular field. Social scientists do this by making observations and looking for patterns or regularities in what is observed. They use the results of the observations to come up with explanations for the way things are and to prove or disprove theory.
Good social research starts with a topic that is considered important to the field of study it relates to as well as good/solid methodology used to study the topic. Following are a list of questions one should be able to answer as he/she begins, or is in the process of, doing social research. The list of questions is not meant to be all-inclusive. However, if you cannot at least answer these questions you will not be able to adequately do social research.
Note: If you do not understand the terms used in some of these questions you need to start doing some research on the terms first.
What is the purpose of the study?
Is the topic of study important? Why? How will the research contribute to the body of knowledge?
Who are the major scholars in the area of study and what articles/books have they written?
What journals publish studies within the area of study you are working?
What books have been written which summarize the area of study?
What are the major theories within the area of study?
What does existing research in the area say about the study at hand (i.e. the study you are doing)?
Will this be a qualitative or quantitative study?
How will the research be analyzed and what will be the units of analysis?
What are the variables to be studied and how will they be defined?
Should experimental, survey, field, or evaluation research be used or would a more unobtrusive form of research be better such as content analysis, analyzing existing statistics, or historical/comparative analysis?
What is the population to be studied? What conclusions will be drawn? What will be the sample size? How will the sample be selected?
Other requirement: Privacy forms must be created and used to inform and gain consent from people involved in the study.
The Two Broad Areas of Research
There is no one way to approach social research. However, for our purposes, we can start by classifying research into two broad categories to choose from. These categories are quantitative research methodology and qualitative research methodology. You should, through your research, find which broad category would best suit the purposes of your research (in some cases both quantitative and qualitative methods can be used). Under each of the broad areas you will need to become familiar with some specific areas of study and ethical research guidelines must be met.
Project Requirements for a Social Research Project
All of the following should be included in a portfolio handed in during your presentation:
The Research Report * (see the note at the bottom of the page)
The format of the research report will be as follows (suggested by Ohio State Professor, Eric Norland):
The Introduction: this is where the purpose and an overview of the study should be included. One should include a brief introduction, the purpose of the study, the need for the study, the research objective (hypotheses or questions to be answered), variables and their roles in the study, and definitions of terms to be used for clarification to the reader.
The Literature Review: “because every research report should be placed in the context of the general body of scientific knowledge, you must indicate where your report fits in that picture” (Babbie, The Practice of Social Research, 1998). Include all the relevant bodies of literature, theories of concern, and information from studies similar to your study. Point to general agreements and/or disagreements among previous researchers, if researchers do disagree you should summarize the two opposing viewpoints and suggest reasons for the disagreements.
Methodology: One should include a short introduction to methodology considerations, the design of the study, population and sampling procedures, instruments and scales used to collect data and there reliability/validity etc., data collection (choice for methods and why, control for instrument misuse, collection timeline etc.), and data analysis (how were instruments handled, statistics used, software or hardware used in analysis etc.).
Findings: Include an introduction for your findings, the results of the study organized by objective (e.g. hypothesis or research question) and a summary.
Summary and Conclusions: Review the significant findings, discuss what your study supported and/or did not support from the literature review, and end with implications/recommendations for theory, practice, and/or future research.
Appendix
Tables, Charts, and/or Figures: These can be included in the text of the report or in the appendix (it is suggested they appear in the text so the reader can better understand what you are writing).
Statistical Analysis: Include all the numbers you obtained and manipulations you did.
A Copy of the Instrument and Design used for Data Collection and Analysis: Could be all notes/recordings taken by the researcher for qualitative analysis, computer programs used in qualitative field note taking and data analysis, surveys, past statistics, experimental designs, copies of the computer programs used, etc.
* The research paper format and other elements of the portfolio are generally, but not specifically, related to quantitative studies. Qualitative studies can be, and usually are, organized differently (for instance, qualitative studies are many times written in the first person and the instrument for data collection is, many times, note-taking by the researcher(s)). If you are doing a qualitative study you may suggest an alternative format and alternative materials to be included, based upon your research into qualitative studies, to be approved by your on-site advisor, primary advisor, and the Senior Team.