From the LaunchPad

Welcome to The Launchpad, SoundRocket’s blog, where we share our insights and musings on the science of doing science (well), #soundscience.

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A Social Scientist’s Exercise in Gratitude – 12, 38, 400, 820, and 1.9 million

by | Apr 27, 2016

In the Summer of 2004, I set out to carve a new path.  I knew that I didn’t enjoy market research (or social science research within a market research firm).  I missed academic social science research, but I wasn’t keen on returning to a purely academic environment.  I took a leap of faith and quit my job with no plan.  With two young kids, I would test out being a “full-time dad” for awhile, as I explored what options I had.  I suspect I knew inside that I needed the urgency of not having a job to help me decide what was next.

I am grateful that…

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9 Reasons Why I Work in Survey Research

by | Nov 9, 2015

Anyone who has been in the field of survey research knows how difficult it is to explain to friends and family what exactly it is we do.  I have gotten so caught up with this question sometimes that I forget to consider why I do it – which in its own way helps answer the what question.

So here is why I do it:

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Social Science Research: Are We Truly Innovating?

by | Oct 12, 2015

When I think of innovation in survey research, I think of innovation in our “sister” field of land surveying.  (A field I think of too often as I correct confused extended relatives about the type of surveys that I’m involved in.)

In 2600 B.C. Egypt, “rope stretchers” were some of the first land surveyors.  They stretched rope to measure land distances.  But rope had its flaws – it was often weak, stretched, expensive, and in large amounts could be very heavy.  Small innovations took place…

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Peer Review as a Necessary but Unscientific Process – Can we just do some iterative science already?

by | Sep 21, 2015

Peer review is wonderful in theory.  Scientists reviewing other scientists’ work to evaluate whether the science was applied thoroughly, implemented well, and interpreted effectively can be a wonderful way to allow the best science through.  But the Reproducibility Project clearly demonstrated that something is broken – when over a quarter of the published studies reviewed could not be replicated. 

It is not a surprise to most.  Humans are involved.  We make mistakes…

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Six Common Mistakes in Survey Research

by | Jul 27, 2015

Survey research is a part of the scientific process – and even a science on its own.  So why do researchers abandon the science when they implement their studies?  An astronomer would not go to the hobby store to buy a telescope to study the galaxy.  A geneticist would never purchase non-sterile test tubes from an unknown source to capture saliva samples from research subjects.  So why do social scientists routinely treat their own data collection tools this way?   

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