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Putting the pieces together. The introduction Purpose statement Literature Review Research Design Data Collection Methodology. Introduction/Purpose. The introduction & Purpose statement are critical Some readers might only read that part (lazy professors; editor; grants)
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Putting the pieces together The introduction Purpose statement Literature Review Research Design Data Collection Methodology
Introduction/Purpose • The introduction & Purpose statement are critical • Some readers might only read that part (lazy professors; editor; grants) • You better clearly identify your purpose and its importance on the first page.
Three Purposes of Research • Exploration • Description • Explanation
Identify Units of Analysis What or whom to study: • Individuals • Groups • Organizations • Institutions • Social artifacts
Units of Analysis and Faulty Reasoning • Ecological fallacy – assuming something learned about an ecological unit says something about the individuals in the unit. • Reductionism – Reducing something to a simple explanation when in reality it is complex.
Identify Time Dimension • Cross-Sectional Studies • Longitudinal Studies • Trend • Cohort • Panel
How to Design a Research Project • Define the purpose of your project. • Specify exact meanings for the concepts you want to study. • Choose a research method. • Decide how to measure the results.
How to Design a Research Project • Decide whom or what to study. • Collect empirical data. • Process the data. • Analyze the data. • Report your findings.
Elements of a Research Proposal • Problem or objective • Literature review • Subjects for study • Measurements
Elements of a Research Proposal • Data-collection methods • Analysis • Schedule • Budget (maybe)
Why these need to be clear? • To get your prospectus approved • To get funding (grants) • To get approval from IRB
Find Empirical Research Examples and Map them Qualitative Quant. Other Mixed Focus Groups Survey Q-Methodology Triangulation Interviews Random samples Advocacy Research Sequential Ethnography Statistics Content Analysis Concurrent Ethnomethodology Misc Secondary Data analysis Look to the literature
Remember • You are writing developing two research designs • 1 broader one for your thesis • 1 narrower one for your paper • They are obviously related but not interchangeable.
Advice Be as clear and specific as possible • What is “crime policy”? • What is “assessment”? • What is “privacy”? • What is “identity”? • What do you mean by “immigration” (legal, illegal, both)?
Advice In the research design/methodology section, use the lingo but define the lingo. Case study, ethnography, in-depth interviews (what does that mean?); focus group (elaborate). Include a justification section for your design that includes references.
Drafting and redrafting • Moving from first to final draft is a multistage process that sees you working systematically through the development of: • logic and argument • coherence and consistency • fluency and readability • and finally, copy editing
APSA Citation Style Erskine, Hazel. 1974. “The Polls: Fear of Violence and Crime.” Public Opinion Quarterly 38 (1): 131-15. Ferraro, Kenneth and Randy LaGrange. 1987. “The Measurement of Fear of Crime.” Sociological Inquiry 57 (1): 70-101. Garofalo, James. 1981. “The Fear of crime: Causes and Consequence.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 82 (2): 839-857. Warr, Mark. 1990. “Dangerous Situations: Social Context and Fear of Victimization.” Social Forces 68, 3: 891-907.
