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1 - RESEARCH PROCESS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Paul S. Gray ,
John B. Williamson ,
David A. Karp  and
John R. Dalphin
Paul S. Gray
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
John B. Williamson
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
David A. Karp
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
John R. Dalphin
Affiliation:
Merrimack College, Massachusetts
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

What Is Social Research?

You are a curious person. That is why you are studying social research. You want to find out about the world, society, and human behavior. Research can be fun, but it is not just spinning out ideas from the comfort of an easy chair. Research is also a dynamic process that is more rigorous and complicated than many people realize. It is part perspiration and part inspiration. Learning the rules and principles of understanding that guide research is part of the challenge, but using our imagination and creativity is also essential for success. This book has been written in that spirit, to provide a foundation from which you can make sense of the world.

This chapter focuses on the promise of social research, the goals of the scientific method, and the differences between science and common sense. The standards by which social researchers evaluate their own work and the work of others are also described.

Data Collection and Analysis

Systematic research in any field of inquiry involves two basic operations. The first is to observe, measure, and record information – in other words, data collection. The second is to arrange and organize these data so that we may discover their significance, generalize about them, or tell what they mean. This exercise is called data analysis. If you write down the weather in your hometown every day for one year, then that would be data collection.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Research Imagination
An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
 , pp. 1 - 16
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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