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This book was written to give students a tour of how the scientific method is used for studying social and behavioral phenomena. In this brief closing chapter, we want to address those students who can see themselves one day conducting research at a professional level. Much of what is needed to go beyond what is presented in this book must be acquired not by further classroom instruction, but by actually ‘‘getting your feet wet.’’ Therefore, as soon as possible, begin exercising your research and research writing skills and then look for help from other researchers whom you admire.
Expect to learn new things and gradually improve your research skills every time you undertake a research project. As you gain experience, however, your learning will become increasingly subtle and specific to a particular area of study. In brief, the best advice that can be given for how to become a competent researcher is similar to what the native New Yorker said to a tourist who asked how to get to Carnegie Hall. The New Yorker replied, ‘‘Practice, man, practice.’’ There is no substitute for practice once the basics of research methods are understood. In the beginning, however, be careful not to take on bigger projects than you can successfully execute, and do not be disappointed if your first attempt or two fails to yield anything worth publishing.
Four additional suggestions can be offered to help you if you are really interested in perfecting your research skills.
First, seek out the advice and criticisms of fellow researchers and teachers. Take their comments, not as divinely revealed truth, but as suggestions from those who are older and wiser and who nearly always want to be helpful. If you have a ‘‘thin skin’’ when others criticize your ideas, your career as a researcher will be filled with frustration. On the other hand, if you can accept criticism as evidence that improvement is always possible, criticism can be extremely useful to you. This does not mean you should automatically follow all advice that others give you; it simply means that, as much as your intellectual integrity will allow, you should accommodate as many negative reactions to your work as you possibly can. The more you write, the more you will realize that no one’s research efforts are beyond improvement, but the more people you have critique your work, the closer your writing will get to perfection (within human limits).
Second, become proficient in statistics. This text was specially designed to emphasize the importance of statistics in social science research. Nevertheless, it omits details that researchers need to be familiar with in order to carry out empirical research. Besides taking courses in statistics, you can gain valuable insights by reading research reports with an eye toward knowing which statistical methods were used and why. Becoming acquainted with at least one of the spreadsheets and statistical programs currently available for use with computers is also important for all contemporary researchers.
Third, become familiar with the essential linkage between scientific theory and empirical research. Learn to shuttle between these two complementary realms of scientific thought. As you do so, you will sharpen your intellectual abilities to formulate empirically testable hypotheses.
Fourth, maintain a sensitivity to the ethical issues that surround your research. Whether you seek pure knowledge or practical solutions, never lose sight of the social fabric of which you and the entire scientific enterprise are a part. The threads of this fabric can be frayed by those who disregard the impact of their work on the lives of others. Rest assured that knowledge engenders social change, albeit ever so slowly. As a social scientist, you must not be irresponsible in promoting that change.
If you plan to pursue a career in which research methods are important, it may be wise to keep this text for reference. From time to time, you will want to refresh your memory about various research concepts. Those of you who become extensively involved in scientific research may find helpful information in the suggested readings at the end of each chapter.
In closing, we hope you have gotten more from this text than an understanding of the process of conducting social scientific research. Our ultimate goal has been to share some of the wonder and joy that social and behavioral scientists feel when they peer beneath some tiny portion of the thick shroud that continues to cover the secrets of our existence as thinking social creatures.