Objectivity in social science research means conducting research with personal neutrality or with minimal or no influence from one’s opinions and groundless ideas. The table tennis racket represents the sociologist as if s/he is wrapped in a white sheet to cover or eliminate biased thoughts and be colored only by different hues and shades that represent the facts and the theory(-ies) used to interpret those facts. The racket is not entirely plain and white for it is nearly impossible to be precisely a hundred percent objective. But it goes with saying that these colors represent data and theory both of which should be least affected by unjustifiable and/or irrelevant common-sense assumptions.

Archived: Department of Sociology and Anthropology blog.