CHAPTER 15, READING AND WRITING SOCIAL RESEARCH

Chapter Outline  Reading Social Research  Using the Internet Wisely  Writing Social Research  The Ethics of Reading and Writing Social Research  Quick Quiz

Reading Social Research  Organizing a Review of the Literature  Determine keywords (a key concept or population) Practice: Identify keywords if you were interested in criminal behavior among female college students. Practice: Identify keywords if you were interested in cohabitation among gay and lesbian couples.  Conduct a search Library of Congress, school library, online search engine Snowball Search

 Journals versus Books  Reading a Journal Article Read the Abstract – A summary of a research article (states the purpose of the research, the methods used, and the major findings). Skim the article, noting section headings and tables and graphs Read the article in its entirety Review the article

 Reading a Book Research Monograph – a book-length research report. Read the preface or introduction Read the book in its entirety

 Evaluating Research Reports  Theoretical Orientations  Research Design  Measurement  Sampling  Experiments  Survey Questions  Field Research  Content Analysis  Analyzing Existing Statistics  Comparative and Historical Research  Evaluation Research  Data Analysis  Reporting

Using the Internet Wisely  Some Useful Websites  Searching the Web  Search Engine – a computer program designed to locate where specified terms appear on websites throughout the World Wide Web.

 Evaluating the Quality of Internet Materials 1. Who/What is the author of the website? 2. Is the site advocating a particular point of view? 3. Does the website give accurate and complete references? 4. Are the data up-to-date? 5. Are the data official? 6. Is it a University research site? 7. Do the data seem consistent with data from other sites?

 Citing Internet Materials  Elements of a Proper Citation URL – web address (uniform/universal resources locator) Data and time when site was accessed Author and title, if available Publishing information, if available Location in print form

Writing Social Research  General Guidelines  Use proper grammar and spelling  Use a style guide (such as The Elements of Style)  Understand functions of scientific reporting

 Some Basic Considerations  Audience  Form and Length of Report  Aim of Report

 Organization of the Report  Purpose and Overview Provide a brief statement of the purpose of the study and the main findings (in a journal article, this is the abstract).

 Review of the Literature Fit your research into the context of existing scientific knowledge.  Avoiding Plagiarism Plagiarism – Presenting someone else’s words or thoughts as thought they were your own, constituting intellectual theft.

 Study Design and Execution Include the population, the sampling frame, the sampling method, the sample size, the data collection method, the completion rate, and the methods of data processing and analysis.  Analysis and Interpretation The presentation, manipulation and interpretation of data should be integrated together  Summary and Conclusions Review significant findings in the context of the larger project and existing scientific research, review shortcomings and make suggesting for future research

 Guidelines for Reporting Analyses  Provide maximum data without being cluttered  For quantitative data, presenting data such that the reader can recompute them  Describe all aspects of quantitative analysis  Provide details  Integrate supporting materials  Draw explicit conclusions  Point out qualifications  Write clearly

 Going Public

Quick Quiz

1. In most journals, each article beings with a/n _____. A. table of contents B. index C. summary D. abstract

Answer: D. In most journals, each article beings with an abstract.

2. Most original research is seen as a/n _____ of what has previously been learned about. A. cause B. replacement C. extension

Answer: C. Most original research is seen as an extension of what has previously been learned about.

3. Which of the following questions might you ask when evaluating data on websites? A. Who is the author of the website? B. Is the site advocating for a particular point of view? C. Does the website give complete references? D. all of the above E. none of the above

ANSWER: D. You should ask all of the following questions when evaluating data on websites: A. Who is the author of the website? B. Is the site advocating for a particular point of view? C. Does the website give complete references?

4. Which of the following should be included in a research report? A. purpose and overview B. review of the literature C. analysis and interpretation D. all of the above E. none of the above

ANSWER: D. All of the following should be included in a research report: A. purpose and overview B. review of the literature C. analysis and interpretation