Overview

In this assignment, you will choose the research studies you will use as the basis for crafting your research question in Project Three. You will also look for patterns in data-collection types and consider some of the credibility threats to the research studies you have chosen.

Prompt

In Project One: Research Methods in Social Sciences, you examined methodology types for research studies and how each methodology type impacts research. In Project Two: Various Types of Data, which you will complete in Module Six, you will explore data-collection types and their impact on research. As you continue to build toward crafting your complex research question in Project Three, you will need to finalize your research study choices for your specific research problem. Deciding on your research studies now will not only allow you to focus your efforts on developing a complex research question but also help you begin to evaluate the research you have gathered in order to develop a deeper analysis of data collection for the Project Two.

In this assignment, include the following:

Select Research Studies

First, you will need to make sure your research studies represent a variety of research methodology types in order to ensure that you have enough research to draw from to craft your complex research question in Project Three, which you will submit in Module Eight. In addition, to make sure you have enough information to evaluate the data-collection types in your Project Two in Module Six, you will need to complete the following:

• Select two research studies that utilize each methodology type and explore your chosen research problem (six in total).
  • Note: You only need to submit the APA reference-page citation for each study you will use.

Data-Collection Patterns

Now that you have conducted your preliminary research and chosen the research studies you will use to help craft your research question, you will need to evaluate each of your research studies to determine patterns in data-collection types. Determining patterns in data-collection types now will help you identify and analyze how these types impact potential threats to the credibility of your research, as well as the relevance of data-collection types to the research questions you will explore in Project Two in Module Six. As you consider the types of data included in each of your studies, answer the following:

• What data-collection patterns do you notice?
• Are there some data-collection types that seem to be used more in your area of study in the social sciences?
• What about the other social sciences?
• Why do you think that is?
• How can using certain data-collection types more than others create a threat to credibility?

Purpose of Varied Data Collection

Finally, in Project Two in Module Six, you will analyze data-collection types to explore the benefits and drawbacks of the choices the researchers made in your selected studies, and the choices of researchers in anthropology, political science, human services, and criminal justice in the social sciences. As you consider data-collection types, answer each of the following:

• What are the benefits of multiple data-collection types?
• What are the drawbacks of multiple data-collection types?
• What is the link between varied data collection and credibility risks?
• What are some common types of data collection used in each of the social sciences?
• Why do you think certain social sciences seem to favor particular types of data collection over others?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Select data-collection types in selected research studies
2. Explore patterns in data collection to identify and analyze their impact on potential threats to credibility
3. Examine common data-collection types in social sciences

Guidelines for Submission:

This assignment must be completed in a written format and should be 1–2 pages in length. Any references should be cited in APA format. Shapiro Library APA Style Guide

Data-Collection Patterns