Anyone in the forum doing a PhD in the social sciences? I need a advise on the best methods applied in social science research, especially in politics and international relations. Thanks in advance

depends on what your using the methodology for. if it's a proposal, it is sufficient to say that your research is going to be mainly library based. if you plan to use questionnaires and interviews to test your hypothesis then you can state that in the methodology.

Hi, Jimmy. Here is the same info as in your other thread. My advice is take a good book on research methods in social sciences and read carefully purposes of each research method. In brief, it all depends on what you are going to study and how far you will go. If it's something that hasn't been explored before at all, then qualitative research is more appropriate (interviews, observations, etc.). If you just want to compare something, look at an issue from a different angel, or test some hypothesis, use quantative methods (questionnaires, or other).

Hi,
Does any of you use any kind of digital device for recording and transcribing interviews? Is it worth it to invest hundreds of dollars for these equipments? Or is it better to hire people to do the transcribing? Please share your experience!