Introducing Social Research Methods

Janet M. Ruane is a professor of sociology at Montclair State University. She is the author of Second Thoughts: Sociology Challenges Conventional Wisdom (with Karen Cerulo, 6th edition, 2014) and has published articles in an array of prestigious, peer-reviewed journals, including Social Psychology Quarterly, Sociological Forum, Sociological Inquiry, Law and Policy, Communication Research, Sociological Focus, and Science as Culture. With over 25 years of experience teaching research methods to undergraduates, Professor Ruane is an ardent supporter of education as a tool of empowerment.

About the Website ii

1 How Do We Know What We Know? Science as a Superior Way of Knowing 1

2 The Language of Science and Research: Learning to Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk 21

3 Ethics: It’s the Right Thing To Do 45

4 Designing Ideas: What Do We Want to Know and How Can We Get There? 67

5 Measure by Measure: Developing Measures—Making the Abstract Concrete 93

6 All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Assessing the Validity and Reliability of Measures 117

7 One Thing Leads to Another … or Does it? Tackling Causal Analysis 139

8 The Questionnaire: Would You Mind Taking the Time to Answer a Few Questions? 163

9 Having the Talk: Person to Person Information Exchanges 189

10 Field Research: Welcome to My World 209

11 Sample This! How Can So Few Tell Us About So Many? 231

12 Show Me the Numbers: Descriptive Statistics and Inferential Statistics 255

13 Pulling it Together: A Final Synthesis 283

Glossary 289

Index 295