2. A number of research centers have pages on the web. Using a search engine,
locate some of these organizations. For example, some of the best known
centers are: the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, the Public Opinion
Laboratory at Indiana University-Purdue University,the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
What types of data do these organizations have? How many different data sources can you
locate that contain information on work, employment and earnings? How many can
you find that contain information on social attitudes (eg. on abortion,
welfare, politics, etc.). One of the best known and widely used public
opinion surveys is the General Social
Survey. Try to locate information on this data set and publications that contain analyses of
these data.
3. Researchers in sociology may use a number of different ways to gather data.
Search newsgroups and listservers to see if you can find a discussion group
that focuses on the use of field research to gather qualitative data (try bit.listserv.qualrs-l). What
types of information are discussed in these groups? See if you can find references to
published articles or discussions of on-going field research projects. Compare
the descriptions of these projects to the steps of the research process described in this chapter.
Two good reference sites are the and the Qualitative Research Interest
Group.
Tips for Searching Search engines that are categorized by topic, like Yahoo, are useful when using terms that have many meanings. For example, entering "survey" or "data" in an unrestricted search might lead you to discussions of geological surveys or electronic data transfers. Searching with these terms under the category of social science or sociology will make your search more efficient.