Research in the News

I’m trying to learn for my Social Science class and I’m stuck. Can you help?

it is social research methods class socl302

All semester, you have been learning about all the components that make a research project reliable, valid, and generalizable. Almost every day there are new stories in the news reporting findings from a recent study. One of the things I have been trying to do with you this semester is make you better consumers of information. To that end, I would like you to find an article in a popular news source (print, web, video, etc. – NOT an academic journal article – think CNN, Fox News, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, etc.) that summarizes a social science study (not one that just cites research as evidence but the goal of the article is to summarize academic research – look for titles “New Study Finds” or “According to New Research”). Tell us about the study and really critically evaluate the information that was presented. Was enough information presented to lead you to accept the results of the research as valid? Or do you have questions about critical information that was left out (such as how the sampling was done, what the sample size was, where the research was conducted, etc.)? What is your evaluation of the study and the presentation of the research in the media? Write up your evaluation and critique in a paragraph or two (about a page). Please be sure to introduce the article (title, news source, and brief summary of the article) at the beginning and include a full citaiton at the end.