Issues in sociological research

• Practical

  • time = how long will it take to collect and interpret data?
  • access = how easy will it be to study target group?
  • money = who will fund the research and how much will have to be spent on training researchers?
• Ethical

  • deception = is there a need to hide why you're conducting research?
  • informed consent = are people aware they're part of the research?
  • protection from harm = are they likely to face physical or psychological harm?
• Theoretical

  • does the research require quantitative or qualitative data?
  • reliability = is the research going to be repeated by others?
  • validity = is the research to gain an understanding of human behaviour?