Sociological research takes many forms, including surveys, participant observation, experiments, case studies, secondary analysis, and unobtrusive measures. Answer the following questions related to social research:
(1) Why can’t “common sense” replace sociological research?
(2) What are the differences between good and bad social research? How can biases be avoided?
(3) What ethics govern social research?
(4) Do you think it is right (or ethical) for sociologists to not identify themselves when they do research? What if identifying themselves as researchers will destroy their access to a research setting or information?