The Practice of Social Research

Chapter Seventeen.  Reading and Writing Social Research


Reading Social Research
    Journals versus Books
    Evaluation of Research Reports


This first section of the chapter begins with some tips for reading social science research literature efficiently and effectively.  It begins with the different parts of a journal article; then it examines the structure of scholarly books.


Following that introduction, I've offered sets of detailed questions you should ask in evaluating and understanding what you read.  Even if you never conduct social research, you are going to be reading it all your life, and you should be prepared to read it critically.  Not everything offered up as research findings are to be trusted, and my aim in this section is to help you separate the wheat from the chaff.