A Dictionary of Social Research Methodology

Martyn Hammersley is Emeritus Professor of Educational and Social Research at The Open University, UK. He has carried out research in the sociology of education and the sociology of the media, but much of his work has been concerned with the methodological issues surrounding social enquiry. His books include (with Paul Atkinson) Ethnography: Principles in Practice (Fourth edition, Routledge 2019), Taking Sides in Social Research (Routledge, 2000), Media Bias in Reporting Social Research? (Routledge, 2006), and Methodological Concepts: A Critical Guide (Routledge 2023). Website: http://martynhammersley.wordpress.com/

CURRENT WORKING LIST OF DICTIONARY ENTRIES
Abduction
Academic research
Access
Achievement test
Action Research
Activist research
Ad hoc sample
Administrative data
Agent-based modelling
Aggregation
Analysis
Analysis of variance (ANOVA
Analytic concepts
Analytic generalisation
Analytic Induction
Analytic memos
Anonymisation of research data
Applied Research
Archaeology
Artefact/Artifact
Arts-based Research
Association
Attitude inventory
Attitude scale
Audio-recordings
Audit trail
Autobiographical method
Autoethnography
Axiological
Before-after research design
Bias
Big data
Biographical methods
Bricolage
Case
Case study
Categorical Data
Category
Causation
Census
Cluster Analysis

Co-construction of data.

Coding of data
Cognitive mapping
Cohort Analysis
Cohort effect
Comparative Method
Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis
Computer simulation of social processes
Concept
Confidentiality
Confounding Variables
Constant Comparative Method
Constructionism

Content Analysis
Contingency tables
Control
Control Group
Convenience sample
Conversation Analysis
Cooperative inquiry
Corpus linguistic analysis
Correlation
Counts
Covert Research
Creative research methods
Credibility
Criteria of assessment
Critical case analysis
Critical discourse analysis
Critical ethnography
Critical Race Theory
Critical realism
Critical research
Critical Theory
Critique
Cross-case analysis
Cross-sectional studies
Dangerous fieldwork
Data
Data archiving
.
Data production
Data protection
Decolonising research
Deconstruction
Deduction
Delphi groups
Dependent Variable
Depth interview
Description
Descriptive Statistics
Design experiments
Deviant case analysis
Diary writing as an elicitation method
Discourse Analysis
Distribution
Documentary data
Documentary analysis
Double Blinding
Ecological Fallacy
Ecological Validity
Effect Size
Emic/etic concepts
Empirical
Empirical generalisation
Empiricism
Epistemology
Error
Ethics
Ethnography
Ethnomethodology
Evaluation
Evidence
Exhaustive categories
Experience
Experiment
Experimental texts
Explanation
Exploratory data analysis
External validity
Extrapolate
Fact
Fact/value distinction
Factor Analysis
Factual judgement
Fallibilism
Falsificationism
Feminist epistemology/methodology
Feminist research
Field coding
Fieldnotes
Field roles
Fieldwork
Focus groups
Focused interview
Foreshadowed problems
Foundationalism
Frame analysis
Frankfurt School
Frequency table
Gender/Sex
Genealogy
General population or universe
Generalisability
Grand theory
Grounded Theory
Group administered questionnaire or test
Halo effect
Hawthorne effect
Hermeneutics
Hermeneutic circle
Historical methods
Historicism
Hypothetico-deductive Method
Hypothesis testing
Ideal type
Idiographic science
Independent variable
Index
Index number
Indexicality
Indigenous epistemologies
Indigenous research
Induction/inductive method
Informant
Informed consent
Insider role
Institutional ethnography
Intentionality
Interaction effect
Internal validity
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Interpretive review
Interpretivism
Intersectionality
Intertextuality
Interval measurement
Intervention research
Interview
Interview schedule
Key informant
Knowledge
Levels of measurement
Life history/Life story
Lifeworld
Likert scale
Literature search
Logical positivism
Longitudinal studies
Maturation effect
Meaning
Measurement:
Measurement error
Measurement validity
Measurements
Member and analytic concepts
Member checking
Meta-analysis
Meta-ethnography
Metaphysics
Method
Methodology
Methodological philosophy
Microethnography
Militant research
Mixed Methods Research
Model
Multilevel models
Multimodal research
Multiple regression analysis
Mutually exclusive categories
Narrative analysis

Narrative inquiry

Narrative review

Naturalism

Naturalistic generalisation

Naturalistic inquiry

Netnography

New Materialisms
Nominal measurement
Nomothetic science
Non-probability sampling
Non-response in surveys
Objectivity
Observation
Official statistics
Online data
Online ethnography
Online research
Ontological turn
Ontology
Operationalisation
Oral history
Ordinal scale
Outsider role
Over-rapport
Panel studies
Paradigms
Participant observation
Participatory inquiry
Pasteur’s quadrant
Path analysis
Peer debriefing
Performance ethnography
Performance studies
Phenomenology
Photo-elicitation study
Photovoice
Pilot study
Plausibility

Policy research
Population
Positivism
Post-humanist research
Postmodernism
Post-positivism
Post-qualitative inquiry
Post-structuralism
Pragmatism
Practical research
Probability
Process tracing
Projective test
Protocol analysis
Purposive sampling
Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Qualitative data
Qualitative method
Qualitative analysis
Quantitative content analysis
Quantitative data
Quantitative method
Quasi-experiment
Queer research
Questionnaire
Race
Racism
Random allocation
Random error
Random sample
Randomised controlled trial
Rankings
Ratio level of measurement
Reactivity
Realism
Reality
Reflexivity
Regression analysis
Relativism
Reliability
Repertory grid
Replication
Representation
Representative sample
Research
Research design
Research diary
Research question
Researcher integrity
Respondent
Respondent validation
Response bias
Response rate
Reviewing the literature
Rhetoric
Rigour
Sampling
Sampling frame
Sampling error
Saturation
Scales
Scepticism
Science
Secondary data
Secondary analysis
Semiotics
Sensitising concept
Sensory ethnography.
Sensory research methods
Shadowing
Significance tests
Simulation
Snowball sampling
Social desirability effect
Social distance scale
Social indicators
Social network analysis
Social statistics
Social surveys
Sociometry
Spurious relationship or correlation
Standardisation
Standpoint epistemology
Statistical control
Statistical distribution
Statistical method
Statistical significance tests
Stratified sample
Structuralism
Structured data
Structured interview
Structured observation
Subjectivity
Subtle realism
Survey
Symbolic interactionism
Systematic observation
Systematic review
Team research
Tests
Textual analysis
Thematic Analysis
Theoretical inference or generalisation
Theoretical Sampling
Theory
Thick description
Traditional review of the literature
Transcription
Transferability
Triangulation
Trustworthiness criteria
Truth
Type 1 and Type 2 errors
Typologies
Understanding
Universal law
Unobtrusive research methods
Unstructured data
Unstructured interview
Unstructured observation
Validity
Value neutrality
Variable
Verbal protocol analysis
Verificationism
Verstehen
Video-recordings
Vienna Circle
Vignettes
Virtual ethnography
Virtual research methods.
Visual analysis
Visual ethnography
Visual research methods
Volunteer sample
Vulnerability
Within-group/between-group designs