Reading Social Science Methods

Guide to the reviewed material

Reisner’s opening makes the quality of evidence a condition for deciding how much weight to give a finding. The first survey lesson focuses on fit: respondents must be able and willing to supply the information sought. A question about a population also requires scrutiny of whom the researchers actually approached.

Study instructions

1. Choose one published survey article and restate its research question in a single sentence before reading its conclusions.
2. Record the intended population, the participants actually questioned, and the information each survey item could reasonably obtain.
3. Apply the first judgment rule: explain whether the desired information is accessible through respondents’ answers. Distinguish what people report from independently observed behavior.
4. Write a short appraisal with two separate decisions: whether the method fits the question and how broadly the result can be interpreted. Use the later method-specific chapters to extend the appraisal.

Questions for reflection

• Could the same questionnaire be suitable for one research question and unsuitable for another?
• What additional evidence would justify extending a finding beyond the people studied?

Sources and coverage

Reviewed publication details, contents, the opening introduction (PDF pages 8–10), and the first survey judgment rule (PDF pages 22–24). Other parts are identified from the contents and are not individually summarized.

Official book source; official PDF.