'Dos and Don'ts' of social research
How (not) to do a social research project
Do:
- Start thinking about your research early on;
- Devise some specific research questions;
- Decide on a research strategy (quantitative or qualitative? - see Chapter 1 and FAQ5);
- Decide on a research design (see Chapter 2 and FAQ6);
- Keep a research diary;
- See your supervisor regularly, and listen to their advice;
- Create a timetable to avoid last minute panics (see FAQ.10);
- Conduct a thorough literature search, and keep updating it (see Chapter 4 in addition to FAQ3 and FAQ4);
- Make a note of bibliographic references as you go along;
- Prepare for your research by negotiating access, doing a pilot study, getting ethical approval, etc.;
- Choose an appropriate sampling technique (see Chapter 7);
- Make sure that participants are aware of their ethical rights and give informed consent;
- Be aware of the interaction dynamics involved in face-to-face interviewing (or any research design that involves direct contact with participants) - how might a lack of rapport affect the validity of the data? (see Chapter 18);
- Be a sensitive and reflexive researcher: think about the ethics and politics of social research (see Chapter 5);
- Keep focused on your research questions;
- Allow plenty of time for transcription;
- Store your data in a safe pace to which only you have access (and keep back up copies of tapes, minidisks, documents etc.);
- Start analyzing your data as soon as you collect them;
- Familiarize yourself with technical equipment and computer packages if you intend to use them;
- Start writing drafts of your project report early, and show them to your supervisor;
- Structure your written report by including all the relevant sections (see FAQ.12);
- Be realistic and honest about the limitations of your methodology;
- If appropriate, write to thank your research participants and give them a summary of the findings.
Don't:
- Leave it all to the last minute;
- Expect everything to go to plan;
- Ignore your supervisor's advice (or neglect to see them) (see FAQ9);
- Rely on vague, unfocused research questions;
- Overestimate how much time and money you have (or forget your deadlines!);
- Assume there is no existing literature about your topic;
- Expect a high response rate for a survey / questionnaire;
- Forget to keep a record of what you did and when;
- Neglect to follow the professional code of ethics for your discipline (see Chapter 5);
- Proceed with your research without having negotiated access and gained ethical approval (if necessary);
- Get sidetracked by irrelevant questions or peripheral issues when collecting data (unless you are doing completely open-ended, inductive research);
- Put your own safety at risk when conducting research 'in the field';
- Store your data in a place to which other people have access;
- Underestimate how long it takes to transcribe interview or focus group data;
- Assume that you have to collect all of your data before beginning to analyze them;
- Believe that you have to use a computer package to analyze your data;
- Ignore your institution's requirements about submitting coursework (word length, format, presentation, etc.);
- Use an 'unconventional' style of analysis and/or writing (e.g. postmodernist) without consulting your supervisor;
- Use sexist, racist or disablist language in your written work (see the BSA website for guidelines: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/equality/);
- Think you can write a good dissertation the night before your deadline (see FAQ.10);
- Forget to acknowledge the help of your research participants, supervisor, funding body, and anyone else who supported you.
