Sociological Research

Sociological Research

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This essay will cover some aspects of sociological research. It will

answer not only questions like what is research, but also briefly

illustrate the research process It will then further define the

fundamental terms used in sociological research..

What is Research?

Research refers to search for knowledge. It is a scientific and

systematic search for pertinent information on a particular topic. In

another words, it's a careful investigation or inquiry especially

through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge.

The Research Process

Research is regarded as a cyclical process that generally involves the

stages shown in the diagram on the following page.

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Stage 1: Define the research problem

Select a topic for the research. For example, increase in number of

crimes in a particular society.

Stage 2: Reviewing the literature

After defining the research problem, the next important stage is

reviewing the literature. It means to look for previous works done by

other researchers or as Patrick McNeill quotes in his book Research

Method 1985:

Every researcher, of whatever status, should spend time reading what

other people have written about the area in which they are interested

(pg 20).

As every action has a purpose behind it, reviewing the literature is

no less. Firstly, it gives the researcher the idea of how to go with