​Methodology

Sociological research methods may be divided into two broad categories:

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1. Quantitative designs approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases (or across intentionally designed treatments in an experiment) to create valid and reliable general claims.
2. Qualitative designs emphasize understanding of social phenomena through direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis of texts, and may stress contextual and subjective accuracy over generality.

Sociologists are divided into camps of support for particular research techniques. These disputes relate to the epistemological debates at the historical core of social theory. While very different in many aspects, both qualitative and quantitative approaches involve a systematic interaction between theory and data.  

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Quantitative methodologies hold the dominant position in sociology.



Here you will find resources on types of data as well as the theoretical underpinning behind sociological research, be it positivist or interpretivist.



We also need to understand the research process including what choices a sociologist needs to make regarding primary or secondary data, as well as how to sample the research...