ABSTRACT
Conducting social research is a key component of the sociological enterprise. This chapter provides an overview of the social research process. It considers the impact of the researcher, and the place of theory and previous research findings in the research process. Also provided is an overview of research design and a discussion of how sociologists go about finding the people they want to research. Finally, the chapter examines the standard structure of journal articles and some of the techniques of analysis employed by sociologists. Understanding these will make you a better ‘interpreter’ of published research, which in turn will assist you in writing better assignments and building your understanding of research conducted by sociologists.
