Social research refers to research conducted by social scientists. Social research methods may be divided into two broad categories:
Quantitative designs approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases (or across intentionally designed treatments in an experiment) to create valid and reliable general claims
Qualitative designs emphasize understanding of social phenomena through direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis of texts, and may stress contextual and subjective accuracy over generality
Social scientists employ a range of methods in order to analyse a vast breadth of social phenomena; from census survey data derived from millions of individuals, to the in-depth analysis of a single agents' social experiences; from monitoring what is happening on contemporary streets, to the investigation of ancient historical documents. The methods rooted in classical sociology and statistics have formed the basis for research in other disciplines, such as political science, media studies, and market research.

11 Steps in Research Design

1. define the topic
2. find out what is known for the topic. (literature review)
3. Carify concept and their measurments
4. Establish an appropriate data collection method
5. Operationalize concepts and design the research instrument
6. Selecting sample
7. consider purpose, value and ethics
8. collection of data
9. process data
10. analyze data
11. present the result