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Abstract:
The empirical sociologist, not content just to describe the social realities which his research has shown, will want to try their explanation and the deduction of a "system". The theoretical sociologist, presupposing such a system, will need to establish the data which prove its existence. In this sense sociological theory and empirical sociology are closely interdependent aspects of one discipline. This then is a textbook on research procedure.
The authors discuss the various methods for collecting data (observation, interview, panel study, and the research method par excellence: experiment - the only method which allows causal relationships to be established); the problems of sample construction and of the formulation of questions; the properties of data and the methods of content analysis; and finally the aims and interpretations of the method of presentation.
