Name: Izebe Michael Enahoro

Matric/No: SOS/19/20/0324

Course Code: POL 373

Course Title: Logic and Methods of

Political Inquiry

Assignment: What distinction can

you make between political and
other forms of social research ?
For those who are new to the field of research methods, Political
Research: An Introduction is a great place to start. It outlines the major
concerns involved in conducting research in politics while making no
assumptions about past knowledge of the topic. It leads pupils through a
difficult and complicated subject by examining the several concepts
related to the area.

We are constantly exposed to a wide variety of facts, figures, and points

of view as we watch and read about political events in our daily lives.
Typically, we will choose to accept certain information while choosing to
doubt other assertions.

The Victorian era gave rise to statistical analysis as a result of scientists'

ambition to comprehend and, consequently, regulate the social
environment in which they lived. The word "scientific" conjures up ideas
of validity and authority for many individuals. As a result, individuals like
Marx and Engels used statistics to create "the laws of society." Both
Britain and America had statistical societies by the 1840s, but until well
into the twentieth century, most social statistics research was conducted
in America. This chapter will: examine the need for thorough
quantitative analysis in whatever work you do; introduce some of the
terms frequently used by political scholars; introduce many statistical
techniques that can be applied in political science

What is Social Research?

Social trends, processes, and principles that exist between people and
within society are the subject of social research. Professionals do social
research to examine how and why people interact with one another as
well as to better understand the social elements that motivate and
influence people.

This broad category of research encompasses subjects from a variety of

social science disciplines, including anthropology, psychology, and
sociology. Social research can be used by businesses to enhance their
marketing strategies and by governmental organizations to help shape
legislation and other regulations.
Types of Social Research

1. Primary research

Primary research involves gathering new data through the creation of an

experiment or study. When conducting social research, professionals
may gather data through a variety of resources, including surveys,
interviews and observations. After they gather data, researchers analyze
it in order to generate conclusions that relate to their research question.
For example, social scientists may perform a primary social research
study in which they observe how humans interact under stressful
circumstances.

2. Secondary research

Secondary research involves analyzing and generating conclusions from

data that already exists. Researchers combine, organize and analyze
information in order to generate new conclusions from preexisting data.
For example, researchers may perform a secondary social research study
that analyzes interviews from several studies of women before and after
finding out they're pregnant.

3. Qualitative research

Qualitative social research attempts to gather information through non-

numerical means, such as observation and interviews. Researchers often
conduct studies in a participant's environment to increase trust and
accuracy. Then, they analyze qualitative data by formulating themes
from the observations and descriptions made during the research. For
example, a social qualitative research study may involve observations
and analysis of a single long-form interview of a death row inmate.

4. Quantitative research

Quantitative social research uses numerical data to arrive at conclusions.

Researchers can collect this data with methods such as polls, surveys
and questionnaires. Using these methods, researchers measure specific
variables and analyze the data in order to find statistical results.