Some empirical generalizations that can be drawn from the results of the Sudan Fertility Survey are:

• Fertility in northern Sudan is high, averaging slightly over 6 children per married woman.
• Fertility in northern Sudan will probably remain high in the coming years.
• However, in the long run, fertility in northern Sudan will probably decline as females obtain more schooling.

Notice that these generalizations sound like conclusions.   Often generalizations do, but remember, generalizations are offered as the broadest or most general statements one can make, based on the findings of a study. Researchers are careful in drawing either conclusions or generalizations.   Sometimes, because of limited data, we have to limit conclusions and corresponding generalizations.   The important thing is to be honest in what you say: Be careful not to over generalize or go beyond what your data indicate. For example, the three generalizations we stated earlier were limited to "northern Sudan." We did not try to generalize to all of Sudan because data were not available for other parts of the country.

Aids

Internet resources

In this chapter, we have presented an analysis of only one social research report. Thousands of additional research reports on all kinds of topics are available on Web sites or through other information services. Since this chapter dealt with a report on fertility, we did an Internet search using Google, a popular search service. Google reported about 203,000 Web sites dealing with "fertility rates." We also looked for reports of studies of fertility rates in POPLINE, an information service that covers population-related topics and issues. On February 9, 2005, POPLINE, listed 3,899 items concerned with fertility rates. Some of these were Web sites with the complete text of reports. For example, one report, Transitions in World Population, provides a comprehensive description of population changes, examines bases for future changes, and discusses other issues related to the changing characteristics of the world's population. Others provided summaries of journal articles, books, and other reports related to fertility. Chapter 4 provides explains how to construct and carry out a search of POPLINE.

Either Google or POPLINE and many other information services (see Chapter 4) provide access to thousands of social research reports on all kinds of topics.

Key terms

Analysis Back translation Data Design Empirical generalization Generalizing Interpretation Over-generalizing

Population Pretest Raw data Respondents Questionnaire Sample Survey

Main points

1. Information collected in an investigation is referred to as data. Data are plural; the singular of data is datum.
2. Data are analyzed to produce the results of a study.
3. Social scientists use data to establish relationships between variables. Clearly established relationships between variables provide the basis for explaining why behavior occurs as it does.
4. Findings or results are interpreted to produce the conclusions of an investigation; to interpret findings is to say what we think they mean.
5. Conclusions are statements based on findings.
6. An empirical generalization extends findings from a sample to a population.