a guide to sociological research

• sociology produces knowledge about society to build sociological theory by using empirical inquiry, research questions, data, and examination

• each research method is either used qualitatively or quantitatively

• each research method has variables which can be correlated positively or negatively, or causally or spuriously

• to prove causality sociologists experiment, ideally in the field, to isolate influences the of independent and dependent variables

• all research methods are valuable because meaningful conclusions can be drawn from each to make a change in society

• the research method is determined by whatever question needs to be answered

• research methods measure various levels of analysis

• sociologists use triangulation to get a fuller picture of reality

• answering research questions can prompt new ones

• the process for answering research questions is as follows: choose a topic/theory, review existing literature, write a question, design a methodology, operationalize variables, ensure ethicality, collect data, determine quality, analyze, and write for publication

• ethical research is characterized by the benefits outweighing the risk of research

• to ensure ethicality sociologists use informed consent and confidentiality

• when confidentiality and informed consent aren’t used a debrief on this will occur before or after the experiment

• when studying vulnerable populations, confidentiality and consent are especially important

• institutional review boards ensure research is ethical

• the goal of sociological research is to describe, theorize, and test these theories using a variety of research methods

• if a sociologist’s findings differ from their theory they revise and ask new questions

• ideally, theories are generalizable

• sociological subjects are always changing because society is always evolving, meaning there’s always more to study

empirical inquiry: looking to the world for evidence with which sociology can test its claim

research questions: queries about the world that can be answered empirically

data: systematically collected sets of empirical observations

sociological theory: empirically based explanations and predictions about relationships between social facts

sociological research methods: scientific strategies for collecting empirical data about social facts

biosocial research: investigating the relationships between sociological variables and biological ones

comparative methods: collecting and analyzing data about two or more cases that can be usefully contrasted

computational sociology: extracting and analyzing data using computers

content analysis: counting and describing patterns of themes in media

ethnography: carefully observing naturally occurring social interaction, often as a participant

field experiments: testing a hypothesis under carefully controlled, but otherwise naturally occurring, conditions

historical sociology: collecting and analyzing data that reveal facts about past events

in-depth interviews: conducting intimate conversations with respondents

laboratory experiments: testing a hypothesis in a neutral setting under carefully controlled conditions

social network analysis: mapping social ties and exchanges between them

spatial analysis: layering data on a landscape divided into fine-grained segments

standardized surveys: using a questionnaire designed to elicit analyzable data

time-use diaries: having participants self-report their activities at regular intervals over at least 24 hours

qualitative research methods: tools of sociological inquiry that involve careful consideration and discussionnofnthenmeanijgnof join medical data; in-depth interviews, ethnographies, etc.

quantitative research methods: tools of sociological inquiry that involve examining numerical data with mathematics; social network analysis, spatial analysis, etc.

human subjects research: research involving data collected from people

correlation: an observed relationship between variables

causation: a statistical relationship in which a change in one variable produces a change in the other

spurious: a statistical relationship between two variables that appears because both correlate with a third variable

generalizable: a term used to describe data that are applicable to the whole population from which the sample is drawn, not just the sample itself

academic literature: the existing body of empirical and theoretical publications written by scholars

research ethics: the set of moral principles that guide empirical inquiry

peer review: a step in the publication process in which editors solicit feedback on a scholar’s work from other researchers with related expertise

informed consent: a clear understanding on behalf of a research subject on what their participation in a research study entails

confidentiality: a guarantee that a research subject's participation in and contributions to a research study will be known only to the researchers

vulnerable populations: groups that are at high risk of being harmed if they are included as research subjects

institutional review boards: panels of professionals at colleges that evaluate research proposals to ensure they comply with the moral principles outlined in the code of ethics

professional ethics: a set of moral principles that guide sociologists’ everyday activities