SOC221H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Scientific Method
Document Summary
Social research affects many aspect of our lives. People use findings from social research to reduce crime, improve public health, sell products, or just understand aspects of their lives. Research is a means to finding answers to questions. Professors, professional researchers, practitioners, and students in many fields conduct research to seek answers about the social world. A researcher combines theories or ideas with facts in a careful, systemic way. 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 to produce knowledge. Unless you are unusual, most of what we know about the social world is not based on doing social research. It was probably learned by using an alternative to social research, based on what your parents and other people have told you. Sometimes organizations or individuals give an appearance of authority so they can convince others to agree to something.
