Dictionary of Social Research Methodology

Martyn Hammersley is Emeritus Professor of Educational and Social Research at The Open University, UK. He has carried out research in the sociology of education and the sociology of the media, but much of his work has been concerned with the methodological issues surrounding social enquiry. His books include (with Paul Atkinson) Ethnography: Principles in Practice (Fourth edition, Routledge 2019), Taking Sides in Social Research (Routledge, 2000), Media Bias in Reporting Social Research? (Routledge, 2006), and Methodological Concepts: A Critical Guide (Routledge 2023).Website: http://martynhammersley.wordpress.com/

• CURRENT WORKING LIST OF DICTIONARY ENTRIES Abduction Academic research Access Achievement test Action Research Activist research Ad hoc sample Administrative data Agent-based modelling Aggregation Analysis Analysis of variance (ANOVA Analytic concepts Analytic generalisation Analytic Induction Analytic memos Anonymisation of research data Applied Research Archaeology Artefact/Artifact Arts-based Research Association Attitude inventory Attitude scale Audio-recordings Audit trail Autobiographical method Autoethnography Axiological Before-after research design Bias Big data Biographical methods Bricolage Case Case study Categorical Data Category Causation Census Cluster AnalysisCo-construction of data.Coding of data Cognitive mapping Cohort Analysis Cohort effect Comparative Method Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis Computer simulation of social processes Concept Confidentiality Confounding Variables Constant Comparative Method ConstructionismContent Analysis Contingency tables Control Control Group Convenience sample Conversation Analysis Cooperative inquiry Corpus linguistic analysis Correlation Counts Covert Research Creative research methods Credibility Criteria of assessment Critical case analysis Critical discourse analysis Critical ethnography Critical Race Theory Critical realism Critical research Critical Theory Critique Cross-case analysis Cross-sectional studies Dangerous fieldwork Data Data archiving . Data production Data protection Decolonising research Deconstruction Deduction Delphi groups Dependent Variable Depth interview Description Descriptive Statistics Design experiments Deviant case analysis Diary writing as an elicitation method Discourse Analysis Distribution Documentary data Documentary analysis Double Blinding Ecological Fallacy Ecological Validity Effect Size Emic/etic concepts Empirical Empirical generalisation Empiricism Epistemology Error Ethics Ethnography Ethnomethodology Evaluation Evidence Exhaustive categories Experience Experiment Experimental texts Explanation Exploratory data analysis External validity Extrapolate Fact Fact/value distinction Factor Analysis Factual judgement Fallibilism Falsificationism Feminist epistemology/methodology Feminist research Field coding Fieldnotes Field roles Fieldwork Focus groups Focused interview Foreshadowed problems Foundationalism Frame analysis Frankfurt School Frequency table Gender/Sex Genealogy General population or universe Generalisability Grand theory Grounded Theory Group administered questionnaire or test Halo effect Hawthorne effect Hermeneutics Hermeneutic circle Historical methods Historicism Hypothetico-deductive Method Hypothesis testing Ideal type Idiographic science Independent variable Index Index number Indexicality Indigenous epistemologies Indigenous research Induction/inductive method Informant Informed consent Insider role Institutional ethnography Intentionality Interaction effect Internal validity Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Interpretive review Interpretivism Intersectionality Intertextuality Interval measurement Intervention research Interview Interview schedule Key informant Knowledge Levels of measurement Life history/Life story Lifeworld Likert scale Literature search Logical positivism Longitudinal studies Maturation effect Meaning Measurement: Measurement error Measurement validity Measurements Member and analytic concepts Member checking Meta-analysis Meta-ethnography Metaphysics Method Methodology Methodological philosophy Microethnography Militant research Mixed Methods Research Model Multilevel models Multimodal research Multiple regression analysis Mutually exclusive categories Narrative analysisNarrative inquiryNarrative reviewNaturalismNaturalistic generalisationNaturalistic inquiryNetnographyNew Materialisms Nominal measurement Nomothetic science Non-probability sampling Non-response in surveys Objectivity Observation Official statistics Online data Online ethnography Online research Ontological turn Ontology Operationalisation Oral history Ordinal scale Outsider role Over-rapport Panel studies Paradigms Participant observation Participatory inquiry Pasteur’s quadrant Path analysis Peer debriefing Performance ethnography Performance studies Phenomenology Photo-elicitation study Photovoice Pilot study PlausibilityPolicy research Population Positivism Post-humanist research Postmodernism Post-positivism Post-qualitative inquiry Post-structuralism Pragmatism Practical research Probability Process tracing Projective test Protocol analysis Purposive sampling Qualitative Comparative Analysis Qualitative data Qualitative method Qualitative analysis Quantitative content analysis Quantitative data Quantitative method Quasi-experiment Queer research Questionnaire Race Racism Random allocation Random error Random sample Randomised controlled trial Rankings Ratio level of measurement Reactivity Realism Reality Reflexivity Regression analysis Relativism Reliability Repertory grid Replication Representation Representative sample Research Research design Research diary Research question Researcher integrity Respondent Respondent validation Response bias Response rate Reviewing the literature Rhetoric Rigour Sampling Sampling frame Sampling error Saturation Scales Scepticism Science Secondary data Secondary analysis Semiotics Sensitising concept Sensory ethnography. Sensory research methods Shadowing Significance tests Simulation Snowball sampling Social desirability effect Social distance scale Social indicators Social network analysis Social statistics Social surveys Sociometry Spurious relationship or correlation Standardisation Standpoint epistemology Statistical control Statistical distribution Statistical method Statistical significance tests Stratified sample Structuralism Structured data Structured interview Structured observation Subjectivity Subtle realism Survey Symbolic interactionism Systematic observation Systematic review Team research Tests Textual analysis Thematic Analysis Theoretical inference or generalisation Theoretical Sampling Theory Thick description Traditional review of the literature Transcription Transferability Triangulation Trustworthiness criteria Truth Type 1 and Type 2 errors Typologies Understanding Universal law Unobtrusive research methods Unstructured data Unstructured interview Unstructured observation Validity Value neutrality Variable Verbal protocol analysis Verificationism Verstehen Video-recordings Vienna Circle Vignettes Virtual ethnography Virtual research methods. Visual analysis Visual ethnography Visual research methods Volunteer sample Vulnerability Within-group/between-group designs