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Emma Barthel
26 April 2020
Sociology is a “true” science deserving of the intellectual respect given to chemistry,
biology, biochemistry, and all of the other areas of discovery that the scientific community labels
“hard” sciences. Studies are conducted in a scientific manner, avoiding subjective components
such as anecdotes. Similarly, sociologists report the findings of their studies in peer-reviewed
journals. Moreover, just as with any “hard” science, reports are presented utilizing the
review of 2 academic articles, “Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns:
Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research”1 and “The civic-social media disconnect:
exploring perceptions of social media for engagement in the daily life of college students”2, the
primary difference between sociology and other sciences, hard and soft, is the topic being
addressed.
The scientist in the hard sciences has beakers, Bunson burners, and the like. Likewise,
the sociologist has lab tools: surveys, statistics, and censuses. Rather than anecdotal evidence,
all rely on empirical evidence gained through observation and experimentation, an important
aspect of the scientific process. Scientists of all persuasions rely on evidence that is reproducible:
hard facts. Information collected second hand via hearsay or stories that cannot be weighed,
As is true of the hard sciences, while there is some variation in the manner in which
sociologists apply the conventions of their discipline, there are certain methods that all
sociologists use. For instance, the first thing the scientist does is to identify his/her unit of
analysis. Given that sociology studies the entire world of human and group interaction, the
sociologist must narrow down his/her topic of study considerably. This is essential so as to
1 Perloff, R.M. “Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an
Agenda for Research”. Sex Roles. Accessed June 7, 2020.
2 Paul Mihailidis (2014) “The civic-social media disconnect: exploring perceptions of social media for engagement
in the daily life of college students”, Information, Communication & Society. Accessed June 7, 2020.
permit the sociologist to publish his/her findings in a manner that is not too extensive. For
example, rather than studying large groups in general (something that would require an entire
library), the sociologist might study the response of a large group of fans when their baseball
team suffers a terrible loss while "on the road" (a topic that is sufficiently contained). This is to
The similarities between sociology and hard sciences are nowhere better demonstrated
than by the reporting of their respective research projects. There are generally accepted
methodologies for conducting soft and hard science studies, as well as reporting on them. Once
the study is completed, it is reported in a journal for review by fellow scientists and students of
All research study reports are given a name that provides the reader a hint of what they
can expect to find should they decide to peruse the entire article. For example, the article (put
title here) makes clear that the it discusses something related to (fill in the blank what's the
article about?)
After the title, sociological reports provide a detailed abstract. This summarizes the
hypotheses, method of study, results, and conclusion. The abstract's objective is to give the
reader an opportunity to understand the basic premise of the article, which is typically no more
than three hundred words. For example, the abstract for, “Social Media Effects on Young
Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research'', makes
clear that its goal is to create a “framework to guide research on social media effects on body
image concerns of young adult women.” It proposes a model that, “emphasizes the impact of
short abstract, the reader is able to determine whether it is relevant to their inquiry.
The abstract is followed by “Keywords.” These terms are identified as being central to
the paper’s premise. They are used as an index. For example, in Perloff’s article, “Social Media
Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for
Research”, the “Keywords” listed include, “Social media” and “Mass media.” Hard sciences
similarly list keywords. The reason? Listed in an index elsewhere, the reader can search for all
In terms of length, the first substantial portion of the study is the “Introduction.” This
section includes a review of relevant research and studies. It is used as a primer and will provide
the reader with the essence of the current state of knowledge regarding the study’s topic. The
introduction also discusses the manner in which the authors will present their methodologies and
conclusions.
Research”. This involves a discussion of the literature upon which the authors will directly rely
for their study. Authors often employ figures and diagrams to illustrate how this more recent
research interconnects.
applicable literature, there will be a detailed section outlining the manner in which the study was
performed. This section is entitled “Method”, “Methodology”, or some other synonym. In “The
civic-social media disconnect: exploring perceptions of social media for engagement in the daily
life of college students”, for example, the “Methods” section explains that the study sampled
873 college students across nine universities, all of whom answered a 57-question survey that
The remainder of the body of the report outlines, tests and renders conclusions regarding
the authors’ hypothesis. This may be in multiple subsections. For example, in (citation), the
article first outlines “ways that social comparisons mediate social networking site effects. The
identification (cites omitted) and the normative considerations set in motion by presumed media
influence.”
The foregoing is followed by a “discussion” of what has been learned. It often also
includes a recitation of the possible implications of the study’s results and states what can
possibly be concluded. In order to lead future lines of inquiry, the discussion portion suggests
what further studies should take place. This basically acts as a “passing of the baton” to future
sociological studies.
A scientific study of any kind ends its report in the same manner found in any well
written nonfiction book: with acknowledgements and references. The former is self-explanatory.
Any researcher who hopes to obtain additional assistance in the future is well-advised to be
generous when handing out praise. The latter lists in alphabetical order all studies and research
relied upon throughout the paper. In addition to avoiding accusations of plagiarism, this list
provides handy reference for the reader who seeks to review the original study.
One last common trait shared by all scientists, including sociologists, is the fact that,
generally speaking, their work is intended for other scientists. It is not aimed at the general
public and, thus, is not written like an article you would find in the L.A. Times. Given that the
writer and his/her readers are generally coming from the same school of thought, more precise
terminology and jargon can be used.3 The scientists' work focuses on a specific social context.
The purpose is to have a strong, insightful, sociologically relevant argument. The body of the
research often presents dense paragraphs supported by many citations. Although the length of the
article is not essential, they tend to be longer so as to ensure that they are thorough.
Finally, it is both the hard and soft scientists’ literary practice to use an expository writing
style and maintain a formal tone throughout the document. The sociologist is no exception. Until
I took this class, I did not know what “expository” writing really meant. I have now learned that I
have been writing in this manner for much of my educational career. Expository writing starts
After stating the thesis, multiple paragraphs follow. It is the objective of these paragraphs to
explain and prove the introduction/hypothesis. This is followed by a final paragraph that acts as a
summary. In high school I was often instructed that short papers should include: a) introduction,
and more sociological research papers, I have learned that the foregoing is a perfect example of
the observation that “everything [I] learned in high school is dog shit”.5 To quote Paul Simon:
That is, while the expository method of writing is a nice way of clearly hypothesizing, explaining
and summarizing a basic concept with five simple paragraphs, the world is rarely that simple.
This is certainly true of any kind of scientific writing. As suggested above, the scientist does use
3 Jargon involves terms more readily understood by those specializing in the discipline. For example, Anti
Naturalism” is understood by sociologists as meaning the social and natural world are different.
4 “What Is Expository Writing?” STUDY.COM. Accessed April 27, 2020. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-
is-expository-writing-definition-examples.html.
5 Joshua Smith. “Lecture”. WRIT2: Academic Writing. April 23, 2020
6 Paul Simon. “Kodachrome”. There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. Released April 22, 2013. Accessed April 27, 2020.
expository writing to help clarify items of interest, but this is not the only way the scientist
sociology journal makes that clear. For example, the journal may include a single paragraph
under the heading “hypotheses” that includes an introduction, a description, method, results, and
Sociology differs in its area of study from other sciences, but it has the same conventional
requirements, as well as many other similarities. Just as with other sciences (hard and soft),
sociologists report the findings of their studies in peer reviewed journals. The structure of their
articles follow a pattern much like those found in journals including “hard” science studies. It
makes sense that there are so many similarities given that sociology is as much a science as