Page 83 - DSOC404_METHODOLOGY_OF_SOCIAL_RESEARCH_ENGLISH
P. 83
Unit-10: Types of Data and Their Sources
‘Census of india report’ and ‘Census of india Papers’. in Census different data related to notes
population of country such as-age, Number of women-men, literacy, religion, rural-urban
population, birth and death-rate, marriage positions, occupation and population of scheduled
castes and tribes are collected and published. Latest Census was done in year 2011.
10.3 Authenticity and Reliability of Means of Research
No matter how carefully research tools are undertaken there always remain a doubt whether the
information received from them are reliable and authentic or not . the reason for this is that many
times the same question can be understood in different meanings by the informers and in that case their
answers are also different. it is also possible that the meaning of question has not been understood.
Did You Know? the tool of any research can be declared reliable and authentic only when the
informer understood the same meaning of the question in which meaning
it was formatted.
to know the reliability and authenticity of material of research the following methods can be
adopted:
1. Sending again the Questionnaire—one method to know the reliability of questionnaire is
that we again send the questions to the same informers. if answers to both questionnaires
will be same then questionnaire is believed to be reliable and if answers different are then
it is unrealistic is unreliable. But in between this there comes no difference in the social and
mental situations of informers otherwise different answers can be obtained.
2. Study of Similar Group—to check the reliability of research the questionnaire can be sent
to any other group of having the same qualities. if the answers obtained from both are same
then questionnaire is reliable otherwise not.
3. Use of Sub-Sample—one method to check the reliability of research is that of which large
group we have studied, send questionnaire by selecting a small guidance from them. if there
is a lot of similarity between both results then questionnaire can be believed to be reliable.
4. Use of other Research Methods–to understand the reliability of research the answers of
those questions should be known through interview, schedule and observation methods. if
the same answers are obtained from different methods then questionnaire can be believed
to be reliable.
5. Common Experience—the simplest way to know the reliability of research is that we should
check them through our general knowledge. if the answer is against the general and prevalent
knowledge, then they are believed to be unreliable.
10.4 summary
y Facts or figures are the important steps of data collection. the way a building cannot be
constructed without bricks, lime, stone, cement, gravel, wood and iron, in the same way, the
work of research cannot be completed without facts
y Data are of two types: primary and secondary data.
loVely professional uniVersity 77
