Applied sociology differs from basic sociology as it is explicitly and consciously focused on providing information and insights relevant to particular pragmatic social concerns and is designed to assist in addressing a perceived social problem or organizational shortcoming. In other words, applied sociology attempts to translate research into practical action, while basic sociological research in its purest form seeks to advance knowledge for the sake of acquiring knowledge itself. Posed in these terms, it appears that applied research and basic research are stark dichotomies. The former is typically viewed as making use of the developments of the latter in a derivative way (in this regard, the role of applied sociologists is similar to that of engineers or doctors), while it is in the realm of basic research that substantive theoretical, methodological and empirical advances are made (Bulmer, 1992). However, in real world sociology the two are often far more interconnected than the above-mentioned portrayal might suggest, with applied research at times advancing sociological understanding in significant ways and basic research frequently being directly applied to specific social concerns (Lazarsfeld and Reitz, 1975).

While applied and basic researchers share a common sociological tradition, both theoretically as well as methodologically, there is a structural or contextual difference that serves to distinguish them. Applied sociologists work for clients who are responsible for defining the social issues or problems in question and setting the parameters of research agendas.