Balancing speed and quality during crises pose challenges for ensuring the value and utility of data in social science research. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular underscores the need for high-quality data and rapid dissemination. Given the importance of behavioural measures and compliance with measures to contain the pandemic, social science…

Qualitative coding procedures emanating from grounded theory were limited by technologies of the 1960s: colored pens, scissors, and index cards. Today, electronic documents can be flexibly stored, retrieved, and cross-referenced using qualitative data analysis (QDA) software. We argue the oft-cited grounded theory framework poorly fits many…

Randomized control trials are considered the pinnacle for causal inference. In many cases, however, randomization of participants in social work research studies is not feasible or ethical. This paper introduces the co-twin control design study as an alternative quasi-experimental design to provide evidence of causal mechanisms when randomization…

Most quantitative studies in the social sciences suffer from missing data. However, despite the large availability of documents and software to treat such data, it appears that many social scientists do not apply good practices regarding missing data. We analyzed quantitative papers published in 2017 in six top-level social science journals.…

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare recent research papers on foreign language education in Turkish context with those published in international context to shed light on researchers and policy makers for future studies. This study filled a gap in this field and also aimed to increase the rate of acceptance of research papers…

Objective: The objectives of this article are to explore the extent to which the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) has been used in child abuse research, to describe how the ICD system has been applied, and to assess factors affecting the reliability of ICD coded data in child abuse research.…

Methods for reviews of research that focus on inferring generalizations about substantive issues from a set of studies directly bearing on those issues are examined. The primary source of data was a content analysis of two samples of such reviews. (Author/RL)

Introduces this special volume whose purpose it is to encourage the further development of qualitative study as a way of increasing the diversity of the field, thus increasing the sources of insight and discovery. (Author/IRT)

Considers multicollinearity in nonrecursive models, misspecification of models, discrepancies between attitudes and behavior, and differences between static and dynamic models as explanations for contradictory information on the causal relationship between fertility and female employment. Finds that initially fertility affects employment but that,…

To identify problems in communication among social science disciplines and to point out unexploited opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, the article maps the structure of interdisciplinary relationships among the various social sciences as exemplified by periodical citations in major disciplinary journals from 1936 to 1945.…

Describes a social science research project undertaken to determine public opinion with regard to American foreign policy. An additional objective of the project was to compare demographic correlates of foreign policy attitudes. Results based on a Likert approach are discussed. (DB)

Discusses a 1947 study by Hyman and Sheatsley which investigated the political ignorance of the U.S. public. Examines the 1984 National Election Study, stating that a substantial segment of the U.S. public remains ignorant of political issues. Considers the dangers and implications of political ignorance (know-nothingism) in a democratic society.…

This theoretical analysis of historical data collected from oral accounts points out factors (memory, recall, sampling, interview structure, personal interpretation) which make it difficult for the historian to generalize from individual interviews. (AM)

Discusses how modern governments support and use social science research data to keep informed about social needs and the functions of various government programs. Questions what happens to the data and how government policy research influences policy formation. (Author/DB)

A model is described which illustrates two general uses of multiple analyses to evaluate quasi-experiments: obtaining estimates of the treatment effect, and checking the validity of the experiment. (MH)