Thinking Through Methods: A Social Science Primer

Thinking Through Methods is a primer on conducting rigorous social science research. John Levi Martin addresses the practical decisions researchers must make, including where data originates and how it relates to all possible data that could have been gathered. Designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, this guide encourages readers to think through methods rather than apply mechanical rules. Martin acknowledges that researchers, like their subjects, are subject to cognitive limitations and distortions, and he proposes strategies to compensate for these constraints. He argues for principled symmetry, asserting that poor ethics produces poor research and vice versa. The book functions as a user's guide to sociological research, offering practical guidance for the decisions researchers face throughout their work.