Notes on the lectures from the course (2022) Research Methods in Political Science. INCLUDES video
lectures 1-13 (Total: 38 pages).
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Research Methods in Political Science Lecture Notes (Video Lectures
1-13)
Table of Contents
Video Lecture 1: Introduction to Research Methods 2
Video Lecture 2: Philosophy of Social Science 3
Video Lecture 3: Research Design Questions & Theories 7
Video Lecture 4: Research Design Causality & Overview 9
Video Lecture 5: Research Ethics & Threats to Validity 11
Video Lecture 6: Data & Measurement 14
Video Lecture 7: Data Collection - Comparative & Historical Research & Case Selection 17
Video Lecture 8: Data Collection - Surveys & Sampling 21
Video Lecture 9: Data Collection - Interviews & Focus Groups 25
Video Lecture 10: Data Collection - Experiments 26
Video Lecture 11: Data Collection - Ethnography & Participant Observation 29
Video Lecture 12: Data Collection - Textual/Content Analysis & Big Data 31
Video Lecture 13: (Mostly Quantitative) Data Analysis - Data Management &
Visualisation 34
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Video Lecture 1: Introduction to Research Methods
Scientific Research
Goal = develop a better understanding of events, decisions, actions via groups or individuals.
➔ Achieve this through the:
◆ Use of existing theories (explanation/predictions)
◆ Application to new cases/evidence.
➔ Method = test the theory + collect evidence/data (qualitative/quantitative).
➔ Analysis = any collected evidence must be analysed (description & theory/hypothesis
testing).
Research Methods (Naive Science vs. Scientific Method)
Naive Science (Common Sense Method): Ad hoc explanations that tend to fail due to biased inquiry
(selected explanations/illogical reasoning, inaccurate trust) through:
● Personal experience
● Intuition
● Sources of authority
● Appeals to tradition, custom, faith
● Magic, superstition, mysticism
Scientific Method: Rationale comprehension of the world to establish a logic picture, following:
● A systematic process (step-by-step).
● Falsifiable theories.
○ Theory: Simplifiable model of reality.
● Replication (research can/should be repeated → ensures that findings are reliable).
● Reflective/self-critical approach.
● Cumulative/self-correcting process.
● Cyclical process (research answers questions, but brings forward new ones).
Research Design as a Process
Research design = wheel of science.
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Why are research methods useful?
1. Transitions from intuition/anecdotes → systematic evidence.
2. Questions = problem-driven.
3. Provides tools for transparency/replicability similar across all social sciences.
4. Encourages methodological pluralism/diversity.
5. Works as constraints (follow rules/procedures) vs. opportunities (BUT following these rules
offer the opportunity to draw meaningful conclusions).
HOWEVER, scientific methods are NOT always easy (e.g., Global Warming).
Theory & Practice: Need for Healthy Scepticism
Replication Crisis: Doubts about the outcome of scientific studies have increased, leading to
increased replication issues with finding similar outcomes.
➔ Scientists are too eager to publish results without efficiently scrutinising their research.
Video Lecture 2: Philosophy of Social Science
Key Questions
Unlike the natural sciences, explaining natural phenomena + choosing the right methodology in the
social sciences is less clear.
➔ Ontology = basic assumptions about the nature of the social world (objective/subjective
reality?).
➔ Epistemology = refers to what can be known about social phenomena.
➔ Methodology = how knowledge can be obtained.
Positivism
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