Research

• Social research


  Academic research on people, their interaction with others in the social world (e.g., within groups, in organizations, communities, nation, or transnational context)
• Social sciences research are conducted by:

  • Sociologists
  • Psychologists
  • Political scientists
  • Geographers
  • Historians
  • Anthropologists
  • Communication
  • Journalism
  • Linguistics
  • Education
• Characteristics of good research

  • Researchable
  • Systematic
  • Cyclical
  • Not trivial
  • Logical
• Researchable


  Fundamental part of social inquiry, frames the goals of the study, determines the type of data needed
• Non-trivial


  Research should address problems in the real-world, phrased in academic language using key concepts and analytic concerns
• Systematic research


  • Natural sciences are conducted under controlled environments/conditions, use interventions/experimental conditions
  • Social sciences develop a 'scientific attitude' instead of following the scientific method, systematic, critical, and ethical
• Logical research


  • Logically organized, presents a coherent whole, truthful and free from bias, data is authentic and gathered ethically, findings are presented unambiguously
• Cyclical and iterative


  Generates more questions and directions that could lead to other future research
• Research process


  1. Pose a question

  2. Identify a research question

  3. Make a prediction or working hypothesis

  4. Review existing literature

  5. Specify the purpose of research

  6. Collect data

  7. Analyze and interpret the data gathered

  8. Write the research

  9. Present the result of the research

  10. Evaluate the research for future direction
• Importance of Citation

  • Informs the readers where we obtained the information, idea, quote, or data we used in the research
  • Shows where we found the data
  • Allows the reader to verify the information given in the research
  • Acknowledges the source of the ideas and provides due credit
• Quantitative


  An approach to understanding the social world that emphasizes objective measurements and numerical data
• Sources to cite


  • Books
  • Articles
  • Websites
  • Interviews
• Qualitative


  An approach to studying the lives of people, which emphasizes the meanings and processes instead of causes and effects
• APA (American Psychological Association)


  • The latest version (7th Edition) was published recently in 2019
  • It is commonly used for social science research
• Purpose


  • QN: Investigate cause and effect; test hypothesis
  • QL: Understand human behavior and interactions
• Type of data


  • QN: Numerical
  • QL: Free-form text and open-ended responses, field notes, photos, and video recording
• Method of data collection


  • Quantitative: Questionnaires, measurements
  • Qualitative: Observation, interviews, focus group discussions, open-ended questionnaires
• APA Format


  1. In-text: author-date format

  2. Reference: author, year, title, and source of the cited work

  3. Website: Uniform Resource Location (URL) in place of the publisher

  4. Interview: No citation is needed
• Data analysis


  • QN: Statistical, Mathematical, Computational approach
  • QL: Interpretative, identifying patterns and themes, emphasizes context
• Sampling


  • QN: Large, representative of the population, chosen randomly
  • QL: Small groups, usually non-representative of the population, usually chosen deliberately
• Reasoning

  • QN: Deductive
  • QL: Inductive
• Social media sources


  • Author-date-caption-URL (type of social media enclosed in brackets in between the caption)
  • Only provide the author and date for the in-text citation
  • Use the source-(personal communication)-date format if the social media post cannot be retrieved
  • Use the notation n.d. (no date) if the publication date is not available
• Conceptual


  • QN: Discovering facts
  • QL: Understanding human behavior and its relationships
• Variables


  Characteristics or attributes that can be measured, manipulated, or controlled. They are the factors that researchers observe or manipulate to understand the relationship between them and the outcomes of interest.
• Quantitative data is numbers-based, countable, or measurable. Qualitative data is interpretation-based, descriptive, and relating to language.
• Quantitative (Numerical) Variables


  Quantifiable in nature and represented in numbers, allowing the data collected to be measured on a scale or range. They generally yield data that can be organized, ranked, measured, and subjected to mathematical operations.
• Quantitative data tells us how many, how much, or how often in calculations. Qualitative data can help us to understand why, how, or what happened behind certain behaviors.
• Quantitative data is fixed and universal. Qualitative data is subjective and unique.
• Quantitative Variables


  • Values can either be counted (discrete variables) or measured (continuous variables)
  • Quantifying data in numerical form allows for a range of statistical analysis techniques to be applied, from calculating averages to finding correlations
• Quantitative research methods are measuring and counting. Qualitative research methods are interviewing and observing.
• Types of References


  • Book
  • Journal Article
  • Website
  • Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)
  • Informational interviews and personal communication, including private social media posts
• Qualitative (Categorical) Variables


  Non-numerical data points that categorize or group data entities based on shared features or qualities. They are often used to classify particular traits, characteristics, or properties of subjects that are not easily quantifiable.
• Quantitative data is analyzed using statistical analysis. Qualitative data is analyzed by grouping the data into categories and themes.
• Independent Variable


  The variable that is manipulated by the researcher. It is also known as the predictor variable, as it is used to predict changes in the dependent variable.
• Dependent Variable


  The variable that is measured or observed to determine the effects of the independent variable. It is also known as the outcome variable, as it is the variable that is affected by the independent variable.
• Book Format


  Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of book. DOI/URL/Publisher location: Publisher Name.
• Mediating Variable


  A variable that explains the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. It is affected by the independent variable, which then affects the dependent variable.
• Mediating Variable


  • Metabolism (in a study on the relationship between exercise and weight loss)
• Moderator Variable


  A variable that affects the strength or direction of the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. It influences the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
• Journal Article Format


  Author, A., & Author, B. (year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume, page range. DOI