Basics of Social ResearchUpplaga 2

People conduct social research to learn something new about the social world; or to carefully document guesses, hunches, or beliefs about it; or to refine their understanding of how the social world works. . . . Social research is a process in which people combine a set of principles, outlooks, and ideas (i.e. methodology) with a collection of specific practices, techniques, and strategies (i.e., a method of inquiry) to produce knowledge. It is an exciting process of discovery, but it requires persistence, personal integrity, tolerance for ambiguity, interaction with others, and pride in doing quality work. Reading this book cannot transform you into an expert researcher, but it can teach you to be a better consumer of research results, help you to understand how the research enterprise works, and prepare you to conduct small research projects. . . . you will be aware of what research can and cannot do, and why properly conducted research is important. From Chapter 1