Widening the Scope of Social Science Research to Cover Global Considerations: How “Practicalism” can Help Identify New Vistas in Social Science Research

Abstract

We begin this paper by describing social sciences research techniques which are an intrinsic and an integral part of general research techniques. As a part of this process, we also describe different types of research such as qualitative and quantitative research, randomized controlled trials, experimental design, quasi- experimental design, cross-sectional studies, and longitudinal studies to the extent they pertain to social sciences research. We also make a reference to several of our previously published papers such as the sociological ninety ten rules, the certainty uncertainty principle for the social sciences, inductive approaches and nomothetic rule building. We then proceed to develop several new concepts such as the importance of the assessment of time lag in social sciences research, and identify various situations where a high time lag is not permissible, is tolerable, and is in fact, highly recommended. We also explore the various types of obsolescence associated with time lag. Last but not the least, we proceed to lay down what we believe are the lacunae and shortcomings of present day social sciences research, and what can be done to overcome them from a global centric perspective. We also present some novel applications of social sciences research. We therefore believe this would constitute an important paper in our globalization of science movement by raising awareness on the importance of social science research techniques in various academic disciplines, and in daily life.