The NSC Sociological Methodology Workshops Series: Practical Insights from a First-Rate Scholar in Organization, Stratification, and China Studies

The National Science Council Sociological Methodology Workshop Series, launched in September 2003, is an initiative to upgrade the methodological standards of empirical social research by Taiwanese scholars. The initiative embraces a broad notion of methodology that encompasses not only the techniques for linking theory and evidence, but also the art of designing research, conducting analysis, interpreting findings, and communicating results. Methodology in this sense goes well beyond data analysis. By contrast, methodological training in local and foreign universities is heavily technique-oriented. The mandate of the NSC Series is to fill the large gap between technical skill and methodological excellence.