SOC 100Y (Tollini): Finding Data Collection Techniques

1. Read the article abstract (summary) first to get a general idea of the data collection technique. If it looks promising, click through to the PDF to see a complete description from the article.

2. You need to find an article that only used one data collection technique, specifically survey or interview.

3. Searching for the word "respondents" as "Abstract AB" may be helpful; when added as another search row, it might narrow your results down to summaries that specifically mention the people who were involved as subjects in the survey or interview.

When searching for surveys, there are different keywords you can use to search.

Option 1: Search for the word "survey" as "Abstract AB" to find "survey" or "surveys" in the article's summary.

• Pro: "Survey" is the word used by Dr. Tollini, so searching for it will ensure that word appears in the summary of the article.
• Con: "Survey" may be used in a general sense of "overview," or you may run into "surveys of literature" in which an author gives an overview of all relevant research in an area. Make sure an article contains a true survey (or interviews).

Option 2: Search for the word "questionnaire" as "Abstract AB" to find "questionnaire" or "questionnaires" in the article's summary.

• Pro: The articles you find may have more detailed information about the actual survey instrument used.
• Con: This search is more focused and might limit out some valid articles that don't use those words.

When searching for interviews, stick with the obvious.

Search for the word "interview" as "Abstract AB" to find "interview" or "interviews" in the article's summary.