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abstract
A brief description of the content of a scientific report
anonymity
When no identifying information can be linked to respondents and even the researcher cannot identify them
attrition
The loss of sample members over time, usually to death or dropout
audit study
A type of experimental study that is used to assess whether characteristics such as gender, race, and sexual orientation lead to discrimination in real labor and housing markets
biased
When results either overstate or understate the true effect of an intervention
bibliography
A list that provides a full reference for every source cited in a research report
causality
A relationship where one factor or variable is dependent on another factor or variable
closed-ended question
A focused interview question to which subjects can respond only in preset ways
codebook
A system of organizing information about a data set, including the variables it contains, the possible values for each variable, coding schemes, and decision rules
community study
A study that takes the entirety of social life into account but within a bounded community such as a small town or a neighborhood
composite measure
A measure that combines multiple items, whether as a scale or an index, to create a single value that captures a multifaceted concept
confidentiality
When participants’ identifying information is only accessible to the research team
control condition
A condition where the independent variable is not manipulated
control group
The group that is not exposed to the manipulation of the independent variable
cost-benefit analysis
The process of comparing the estimated value of the intervention to the cost of the intervention
covert observer
One of the four roles a researcher can adopt when doing fieldwork; the researcher observes people who do not know they are being observed or studied
cross-sectional survey
A survey in which data are collected at only one time point
debriefing
The process of interviewing participants after the study and then informing them of the actual purpose of the experiment
dependent variable
In a causal hypothesis, the variable that is acted upon; the outcome we are seeking to understand
dichotomous outcome (binary variable)
When only two options are available to a question, such as “yes” or “no”
double-barreled question
A question that asks about two or more ideas or concepts in a single question
ethnography (participant observation)
A research method where researchers immerse themselves in the lives and social worlds of the people they want to understand
evaluation research
A type of research designed to determine whether a social intervention or policy, such as reducing class size or implementing a new workplace program, produces its intended effects
exhaustive
Preset response categories that give all subjects at least one accurate response
experiment
A research method where the researcher manipulates one or more independent variable(s) to determine the effect(s) on a dependent variable
experimental condition
A condition in an experiment where the independent variable is manipulated
experimental group
The group that is exposed to the experimental manipulation
external validity
A dimension of validity concerning the degree to which the results of a study can generalize beyond the study
field experiment
An experiment that takes place in a natural or ”real world” setting
field notes
The data produced by a fieldworker, including observations, dialogue, and thoughts about what is experienced in the field
focus group
A group interview, led by a moderator, on a specific topic
frequency distribution
A presentation of the possible values of a variable along with the number of observations for each value that was observed
going native
The threat that fieldworkers who completely immerse themselves in the world of their subjects will lose their original identity and forget they are researchers
grounded theory
A systematic, inductive approach to qualitative research that suggests that researchers should extrapolate conceptual relationships from data rather than formulate testable hypotheses from existing theory
Hawthorne effect
Named after a study of factory workers, the phenomenon whereby merely being observed changes subjects’ behavior
independent variable
In a causal hypothesis, the concept purported to be the cause; the variable on which values of the dependent variable may depend
in-depth interviewing
A qualitative method in which the researcher asks open-ended questions to elicit as much detail as possible about the interviewee’s experiences, understandings, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs
index
A composite measure that sums responses to survey items capturing key elements of a particular concept being measured
informal interview
An informal conversation with people who have background knowledge relevant to a study
informant
A person who has special knowledge about a research question based on the person’s social or professional position
informed consent
The freedom to say yes or no to participating in a research study once all the possible risks and benefits have been properly explained
internal validity
The degree to which a study establishes a causal effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
interview schedule
A prepared list of questions and follow-up prompts that the interviewer asks the respondent
interviewer effects
The possibility that the mere presence of an interviewer, or that the interviewer’s personal characteristics, may lead a respondent to answer questions in a particular way, potentially biasing the responses
key informant
A person who is usually quite central or popular in the research setting and who shares his or her knowledge with the researcher or a person with professional or special knowledge about the social setting
laboratory experiment
An experiment that takes place in a laboratory
life history interview
An in-depth interview used to understand how lives unfold over time, the timing and sequencing of important life events, and other turning points in individual lives
Likert scale
A type of rating scale that captures the respondent’s level of agreement or disagreement with a particular statement
longitudinal survey
A survey in which data are collected at multiple time points
mode of administration
The way the survey is administered, such as face to face, by phone or mail, or online
moderator
A professionally trained person who leads the discussion in a focus group
mutually exclusive
Preset response categories that do not overlap with one another, ensuring that respondents select the single category that best captures their views
natural experiment
An experiment in which the independent variable is manipulated by “nature,” not by the experimenter
observer
One of the four roles a researcher can adopt when doing fieldwork; the researcher tells people they are being observed but does not take part in the subjects’ activities and lives
open-ended question
A broad interview question to which subjects are allowed to respond in their own words rather than in preset ways
oral history
An unstructured or semi-structured interview in which people are asked to recall their experiences in a specific historical era or during a particular historical event
panel survey
A type of longitudinal survey in which data are collected from the same subjects at multiple time points
participant observer
One of the four roles a researcher can adopt when doing fieldwork; the researcher tells at least some of the people being studied about his or her real identity as a researcher
peer review
The process whereby a manuscript is evaluated by a panel of experts for its originality, quality, accuracy, and scientific rigor
plagiarism
The failure to properly cite another author’s words or ideas
policy brief
A short, impartial summary of what is known about a particular social or economic issue; includes policy recommendations based on this evidence
positionality
A researcher’s stance or social position in relation to the context of the research, such as the site, community, or organization being studied
pre-post design
A type of reflexive control design in which the researcher measures the outcome of interest once before the intervention, introduces the intervention, and then measures the outcome again
primary data collection
When social scientists design and carry out their own data collection
purposive sampling
A sampling strategy in which cases are deliberately selected on the basis of features that distinguish them from other cases
random assignment
A process that ensures that participants have an equal likelihood of being assigned to experimental or control conditions in order to ensure that individual characteristics are randomly distributed across conditions
randomized field experiment
An experiment that takes place in a natural setting and where participants are randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition
ranking items
A type of closed-ended question that asks respondents to rank-order their priorities or preferences
rating scale
A series of ordered categories
reflexivity
The process of systematically attending to the context of knowledge construction, especially to the effect of the researcher, at every step of the research process
reliability
A quality of a measure concerning how dependable it is
repeated cross-sectional survey
A type of longitudinal survey in which data are collected at multiple time points but from different subjects at each time point
research report
A formal written summary of a research project
respondent
The person who is interviewed. Also called an interviewee
response categories
The preset answers to questions on a survey
response rate
Proportion of the people contacted to participate in a survey who actually participate
response set
The tendency to select the same answer to several sequential questions, perhaps out of boredom or a desire to quickly finish the survey
sampling for range
A purposive sampling strategy in which researchers try to maximize respondents’ range of experiences with the phenomena under study
saturation
When new materials (interviews, observations, survey responses) fail to yield new insights and simply reinforce what the researcher already knows
scale
A composite measure that averages responses to a series of related items that capture a single concept or trait, such as depressive symptoms or self-esteem
screener question
A question that serves as a gateway to (or detour around) a follow-up question; also called a filter question
secondary data source
A resource collected by someone else
selection bias
A form of bias that occurs when certain types of people are placed into particular situations based on their personal characteristics; in experiments, it occurs when the control and treatment groups differ on some characteristic prior to the intervention that affects the outcome of interest
semi-structured interview
A type of in-depth interview in which the researcher has prepared a list of questions and follow-up probes but is free to ask questions out of order, ask follow-up questions, and allow the conversation to unfold naturally
skip pattern
A question or series of questions associated with a conditional response to a prior question
snowball sampling
A sampling strategy in which the researcher starts with one respondent who meets the requirement for inclusion and asks him or her to recommend another person to contact (who also meets the requirement for inclusion)
social desirability bias
A type of bias that occurs when study participants report positively valued behaviors and attitudes rather than giving truthful responses
spuriousness
When an apparent relation between two concepts is actually the result of some third concept (confound) influencing both of them
stakeholder
A party with interests in the outcomes of a social intervention
stem
The part of the survey question that presents the issue about which the question is asking
subculture
A group within a larger culture; a subset of people with beliefs and behaviors that differ from those of the larger culture
survey
A social research method in which researchers ask a sample of individuals to answer a series of questions
survey instrument
The types of questions asked, the response categories provided, and guidelines that help survey designers organize their questions
systematic observation
A method of observation in which the researcher follows a checklist and timeline for observing phenomena
team ethnography
An ethnography conducted by two or more scholars working together
time-series design
A type of reflexive control design in which the researcher takes multiple measures of the outcome of interest over time
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