The Literacy Practices of Sociologists:

Is There a Method to The Madness?

Emma Barthel

WRIT2: Academic Writing

26 April 2020
 Sociology is a “true” science and deservesdeserving of the intellectual respect given to

chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and all of the other areas of discovery that the scientific

community labels “hard” sciences. Studies are conducted in thea scientific manner, avoiding

subjective components such as anecdotes. Like chemistsSimilarly, sociologists report the

findings of their studies in peer -reviewed journals. Moreover, just as with any “hard” science,

studiesreports are presented utilizing the hypotheses, the methodology of the study, and

results/discussion. As will be demonstrated in the following paper, the primary difference is the

topic in question and the way it is approached.

by my review of 2 academic articles, “Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body

Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research”1 and “The civic-social

media disconnect: exploring perceptions of social media for engagement in the daily life of

college students”2, the primary difference between sociology and other sciences, hard and soft, is

the topic being addressed.

The scientist in the hard sciences has beakers, Bunson burners, and the like. Likewise,

the sociologist has lab tools: surveys, statistics, and censuses. Rather than anecdotal evidence,

all rely on empirical evidence gained through observation and experimentation, an important

aspect of the scientific process. Scientists of all persuasions rely on evidence that is reproducible:

hard facts. Information collected second hand via hearsay or stories that cannot be weighed,

measured, or otherwise quantitatively analyzed is worthless to scientists.

As is true of the hard sciences, while there is some variation in the manner in which

sociologists apply the conventions of their discipline, there are certain methods that all
1 Perloff, R.M. “Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an
Agenda for Research”. Sex Roles. Accessed June 7, 2020.
2 Paul Mihailidis (2014) “The civic-social media disconnect: exploring perceptions of social media for engagement
in the daily life of college students”, Information, Communication & Society. Accessed June 7, 2020.
sociologists use. For instance, the first thing the scientist does is to identify his/her unit of

analysis. Given that sociology studies the entire world of human and group interaction, the

sociologist must narrow down his/her topic of study considerably. This is essential so as to

permit the sociologist to publish his/her findings in a manner that is not too extensive. For

example, rather than studying large groups in general (something that would require an entire

library), the sociologist might study the response of a large group of fans when their baseball

team suffers a terrible loss while "on the road" (a topic that is sufficiently contained). This is to

help the sociologist emphasize and focus on his/her topic of interest.

The similarities between sociology and hard sciences are nowhere better demonstrated

than by the reporting of their respective research projects. There are generally accepted

methodologies for conducting a sociological studysoft and hard science studies, as well as

reporting on them. Once the study is completed, it is reported in a journal for review by

sociologistsfellow scientists and students of sociology. the particular discipline.

All research study reports are given a name that provides the reader a hint of what they

can expect to find should they decide to peruse the entire article. For example, the article (put

title here) makes clear that the it discusses something related to (fill in the blank what's the

article about?)

After the title, sociological reports provide a detailed abstract is provided. This

summarizes the hypotheses, method of study, results, and conclusion. Thereafter, all of these

subheadings are described in great detail. This is followed by a “discussion” of what has been

learned. It often also includes a discussion of the possible implications of the study’s results and

states what we can possibly conclude. In order to lead future studies in the direction of possible

future findings based on the current study, the discussion portion often suggests what further
studies should take place. This basically acts as a “passing of the baton” to future sociological

studies.

Given the preceding, it is clear that sociology is a true scientific discipline. Some people

claim that it is “merely” a “soft science”. According to dictionary.com, a soft science is “any of

the specialized fields or disciplines, as psychology, sociology, anthropology, or political science,

that interpret human behavior, institutions, society, etc., on the basis of scientific investigations

for which it may be difficult to establish strictly measurable criteria.”The abstract's objective is

to give the reader an opportunity to understand the basic premise of the article, which is typically

no more than three hundred words. For example, the abstract for, “Social Media Effects on

Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research'',

makes clear that its goal is to create a “framework to guide research on social media effects on

body image concerns of young adult women.” It proposes a model that, “emphasizes the impact

of predisposing individual vulnerability characteristics, social media uses, and mediating

psychological processes on body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.” By quickly reviewing this

short abstract, the reader is able to determine whether it is relevant to their inquiry.

The abstract is followed by “Keywords.” These terms are identified as being central to

the paper’s premise. They are used as an index. For example, in Perloff’s article, “Social Media

Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for

Research”, the “Keywords” listed include, “Social media” and “Mass media.” Hard sciences

similarly list keywords. The reason? Listed in an index elsewhere, the reader can search for all

articles that include “keywords” relevant to their inquiry.

In terms of length, the first substantial portion of the study is the “Introduction.” This

section includes a review of relevant research and studies. It is used as a primer and will provide
the reader with the essence of the current state of knowledge regarding the study’s topic. The

introduction also discusses the manner in which the authors will present their methodologies and

conclusions.

Where necessary, the introduction may include a subheading: “Review of Recent

Research”. This involves a discussion of the literature upon which the authors will directly rely

for their study. Authors often employ figures and diagrams to illustrate how this more recent

research interconnects.

If the paper is reporting an actual study as opposed to merely being a review of

applicable literature, there will be a detailed section outlining the manner in which the study was

performed. This section is entitled “Method”, “Methodology”, or some other synonym. In “The

civic-social media disconnect: exploring perceptions of social media for engagement in the daily

life of college students”, for example, the “Methods” section explains that the study sampled

873 college students across nine universities, all of whom answered a 57-question survey that

was disseminated during the 2010–2011 academic year.

The remainder of the body of the report outlines, tests and renders conclusions regarding

the authors’ hypothesis. This may be in multiple subsections. For example, in (citation), the

article first outlines “ways that social comparisons mediate social networking site effects. The

second section “articulates the hypothesized impacts of transportation (cites omitted),

identification (cites omitted) and the normative considerations set in motion by presumed media

influence.”

The foregoing is followed by a “discussion” of what has been learned. It often also

includes a recitation of the possible implications of the study’s results and states what can

possibly be concluded. In order to lead future lines of inquiry, the discussion portion suggests
what further studies should take place. This basically acts as a “passing of the baton” to future

sociological studies.

A scientific study of any kind ends its report in the same manner found in any well

written nonfiction book: with acknowledgements and references. The former is self-explanatory.

Any researcher who hopes to obtain additional assistance in the future is well-advised to be

generous when handing out praise. The latter lists in alphabetical order all studies and research

relied upon throughout the paper. In addition to avoiding accusations of plagiarism, this list

provides handy reference for the reader who seeks to review the original study.

One last common trait shared by all scientists, including sociologists, is the fact that,

generally speaking, their work is intended for other scientists3 In fact, it is, like psychology, a

soft science, but that shouldn’t detract from the value we assign to it. It is not merely philosophy:

a way of thinking that doesn’t require measurement. While sociology’s methods may not allow

its practitioners to measure items of study the same way “hard” scientists measure liquids, gas,

solids, etc, sociology’s conventions follow a scientific method, scientific reporting requirements,

and a peer review system. It is, in fact, a true science deserving of respect in the scientific

community.

One of the biggest dangers in sociology is the failure to sufficiently narrow down the

topic of study. This can only be accomplished by first accumulating broad knowledge of the

subject in question. This will allow the sociologist to determine what specific, smaller, question

he/she wishes to answer, or at least begin to answer, in a single study.

3 “Soft Science.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Accessed May 4, 2020.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/soft-science.
 The sociologist’s lab tools are made up of surveys, statistics, and censuses. Rather than

anecdotal evidence, the sociologist, like any scientist, relies on empirical evidence. It is gained

through observation and experimentation, an important aspect of the scientific process.

Sociology relies on evidence that is reproducible: hard facts. Information collected second hand

via hearsay or stories that deal information that cannot be weighed, measured, or otherwise

quantitatively analyzed is worthless to a sociologist.

No sociologist would ever rely on anecdotal evidence. Qualitative data is far more

subjective and thus potentially suspect. Rather, sociology relies on the scientist’s own

quantitative (that is, measurable), observations, interviews, and their studies. One of the

sociological analyses I performed for class was the comparing and contrasting of censuses from

1890 and 1990. By simply reviewing the raw data (that is the unanswered survey questions

themselves) I was able to quantitatively draw a number of conclusions regarding the similarities

and differences between these two periods of time in the United States.

The research of a sociologist is, generally speaking, intended for other sociologists and

students of sociology. It is not aimed at the general public and, thus, is not written like an article

you would find in the L.A. Times. Given that the writer and his/her readers are generally coming

from the same school of thought, more precise terminology and jargon can be used.4 The

scientists' work focuses on a specific social context. The purpose is to have a strong, insightful,

sociologically relevant argument. The body of the research often presents dense paragraphs

supported by many citations. Although the length of the article is not essential, they tend to be

longer so as to ensure that they are thorough.

4 Jargon involves terms more readily understood by those specializing in the discipline. For example, Anti
Naturalism” is understood by sociologists as meaning the social and natural world are different.
 It is often the sociologist’sFinally, it is both the hard and soft scientists’ literary practice

to use an expository writing style and maintain a formal tone throughout the document. The

sociologist is no exception. Until I took this class, I did not know what “expository” writing

really meant. I have now learned that I have been writing in this way for manner for much of my

educational career. Expository writing starts with an “introductory paragraph”. This is a

discussion of the topic or topics to be addressed. After stating the thesis, multiple paragraphs

follow. It is the objective of these paragraphs to explain and prove the introduction/hypothesis.

This is followed by a final paragraph that acts as a summary. In high school I was often

instructed that short papers should include: a) introduction, b) three paragraphs of explanation,

and c) a concluding paragraph.5

The As I have reviewed more and more sociological research papers, I have learned that

the foregoing is a perfect example of the observation that “everything [I] learned in high school

is dog shit”.6 To quote Paul Simon:

When I think back

On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all7

That is, while the expository method of writing is a nice way of clearly hypothesizing, explaining

and summarizing a basic concept with five simple paragraphs, the world is rarely that simple.

This is certainly true of sociologicalany kind of scientific writing. As suggested above, the

sociologistscientist does use expository writing to help clarify items of interest, but this is not the

only way the scientist communicates with his/her sociologicalparticular scientific community. A

quick review of a study in a sociology journal makes that clear. For example, the journal may

5 “What Is Expository Writing?” STUDY.COM. Accessed April 27, 2020.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-expository-writing-definition-examples.html.
6 Joshua Smith. “Lecture”. WRIT2: Academic Writing. April 23, 2020
7 Paul Simon. “Kodachrome”. There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. Released April 22, 2013. Accessed April 27, 2020.
include a single paragraph under the heading “hypotheses” that includes an introduction, a

description, method, results, and a summary.

While there is some variation in the manner in which sociologists apply the conventions

of their discipline, there are certain methods that all sociologist’s use. For instance, the first thing

the sociologist does is identifies his/her unit of analysis. That is, given that sociology studies the

entire world of human and group interaction, the sociologist must narrow down his/her topic of

study considerably. This is essential so as to permit the sociologist to publish his/her findings in

a manner that is not so extensive. For example, rather than studying large groups in general

(something that would require an entire library), the sociologist might study the response of a

large group of fans when their baseball team suffers a terrible loss (a topic that is sufficiently

contained). This is to help the sociologist emphasize and focus on his/her topic of interest.

As demonstrated above, sociology Similarly, a single sentence may make up an entire

paragraph.

Sociology differs in its area of study from other sciences, but it has the same conventional

requirements. Similar to other sciences, as well as many other similarities. Just as with other

sciences (hard and soft), sociologists report the findings of their studies in peer reviewed

journals. The structure of their articles followsfollow a pattern much like those found in journals

including “hard” science studies. It makes sense that there are so many similarities given that

sociology is as much a science as biology or chemistry. The primary difference is the subject

being addressedThey share a common objective: further human knowledge.