Assessing the scientific quality of the products of the sociological research: a proposal To establish criteria for assessing the quality of sociological research products is a difficult task. There are in fact many sociologies, pursuing different purposes. In the process of evaluating sociological products, one can identify several phases. The following are the most important: i) the assessment of the degree of recognition and visibility of the scientific production by the scientific community. Several bibliometrical indicators can be used for that purpose. ii) the formulation of a judgment on the quality of the research products considered, i.e. the contribution they provided to the body of sociological knowledge. The contribution may include: the introduction of new concepts, terms, classifications and typologies; the development of new theories of interpretation of social action; the innovation in research techniques; the introduction of new theories and hypothesis, the presentation of new syntheses; the recasting of available knowledge. Finally, the main results of sociological research: the increased transparency provided to social phenomena; the individuation or solution of problems of a specific community, the development of elegant, convincing and empirically founded explanations of social phenomena. I discuss finally some possible objections to this proposal.
Valutare la qualità scientifica dei prodotti della ricerca sociologica: una proposta
BALDISSERA, Alberto
2008-01-01
Abstract
Assessing the scientific quality of the products of the sociological research: a proposal To establish criteria for assessing the quality of sociological research products is a difficult task. There are in fact many sociologies, pursuing different purposes. In the process of evaluating sociological products, one can identify several phases. The following are the most important: i) the assessment of the degree of recognition and visibility of the scientific production by the scientific community. Several bibliometrical indicators can be used for that purpose. ii) the formulation of a judgment on the quality of the research products considered, i.e. the contribution they provided to the body of sociological knowledge. The contribution may include: the introduction of new concepts, terms, classifications and typologies; the development of new theories of interpretation of social action; the innovation in research techniques; the introduction of new theories and hypothesis, the presentation of new syntheses; the recasting of available knowledge. Finally, the main results of sociological research: the increased transparency provided to social phenomena; the individuation or solution of problems of a specific community, the development of elegant, convincing and empirically founded explanations of social phenomena. I discuss finally some possible objections to this proposal.
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