Research, Samples, and Statistics

Learn more about research and methodology within the field of sociology. These resources can help you differentiate quantitative and qualitative research, understand different research methodologies, and apply statistical concepts.

Row of magazines with sticky notes marking various pages

The Study of Cultural Artifacts via Content Analysis

Scales Used in Social Science Research

Ethical Considerations in Sociological Research

People discussing statistics during meeting

An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods

Scientists using computer together in the lab

Deductive Versus Inductive Reasoning

Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno in 1964

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory

A pen pinpoints "agree" on a research survey that uses a Likert scale

The Differences Between Indexes and Scales

People sorted into groups by color represent the statistical technique of cluster analysis

Cluster Analysis and How Its Used in Research

A computer screen showing statistical data is superimposed over an image of a woman wearing glasses.

Pros and Cons of Secondary Data Analysis

Filling out a questionnaire

Constructing a Questionnaire

A researcher constructs a grounded theory through scientific research.

Definition and Overview of Grounded Theory

A person selects images of people from a pile, signaling the concept of sampling design in sociology

The Different Types of Sampling Designs in Sociology

People form a line graph, demonstrating how data run through an index of variables might look when visualized.

How to Construct an Index for Research

Women interacting on a bus

What Is Participant Observation Research?

Small business

Data Cleaning for Data Analysis in Sociology

Why do people cheat? Research shows that financial dependency on one's spouse increases the risk.

Sociology Explains Why Some People Cheat on Their Spouses

Three people wearing lab coats look at a laptop.

What are Controlled Experiments?

Creative businesswoman typing on laptop

Constructing a Deductive Theory

A researcher conduction an in-depth interview with a subject

How to Conduct a Sociology Research Interview

Woman working on computer

A Review of Software Tools for Quantitative Data Analysis

Cremation Ceremony Bali, Indonesia

What Is Direct Observation?

A woman holds a cell phone in her hands.

Science Says You Should Leave the Period Out of Text Messages

Individual faces on disks symbolize who individuals can be units of analysis within sociological research.

Units of Analysis as Related to Sociology

Margaret Mead with children of Manus Island, circa 1930s

Immersion Definition: Cultural, Language, and Virtual

An interracial couple eat breakfast with their children

Understanding Major Demographic Shifts in the U.S.

College building and a sign with the word “university” on it.

How Race and Gender Biases Impact Students in Higher Ed

Information sheets about the U.S. census

Data Sources For Sociological Research

woman filling out questionnaire

Social Surveys: Questionnaires, Interviews, and Telephone Polls

Working hard with my goals in mind

Full-Text Sociology Journals Online

An Asian American woman looks at job listings in a newspaper. A new study found that working below one's skill level can harm future hiring outcomes.

Why You Should Never Take a Job Below Your Skill Level

Graph illustrates the growing racial wealth gap, which has increased greatly since 1983 and is projected to double by 2043.

The Racial Wealth Gap

A young hipster man stands before an American flag. Find out what makes Americans stand out from others.

Four Things That Set Americans Apart and Why They Matter

Structural Equation Modeling

University Of Birmingham Hold Degree Congr...

Principal Components and Factor Analysis

Using Ethnomethodology to Understand Social Order

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