Social Science Research Assistants
Do you spend a long time on social media every day? Did you know this could make you depressed? In 2017, the results of a study conducted on a number of American university students revealed that randomly scrolling through posts on Facebook for 10 minutes a day increases negative feelings. This is just one of thousands of studies and research projects that scientists carry out from time to time on different groups of people. Any research related to human behavior is called "social science research," and it's extremely necessary for understanding how people think, learning about their opinions and feelings, and how they interact with new inventions and products. There are many scientists who specialize in the social sciences, such as psychologists and sociologists, who carry out experiments and research related to human behavior. The work of these scientists involves a lot of detailed tasks, so they need people to help them with their work — which is why they hire assistants known as "social science research assistants" to handle certain tasks related to collecting, tallying, and analyzing data.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Prepare, manipulate, and manage extensive databases.
- Provide assistance with the preparation of project-related reports, manuscripts, and presentations.
- Perform descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses of data, using computer software.
- Verify the accuracy and validity of data entered in databases, correcting any errors.
- Prepare tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.
- Develop and implement research quality control procedures.
- Conduct internet-based and library research.
- Present research findings to groups of people.
- Perform data entry and other clerical work as required for project completion.
- Design and create special programs for tasks such as statistical analysis and data entry and cleaning.