6.8 Summary

Having read this chapter, we hope you have a sense of how some of the disciplinary norms that we see in the social sciences can shape the kinds of writing that happens in these disciplines.

You now know what a discipline is, and how disciplines can shape the kinds of questions researchers might ask and the tools or methods they might use to answer these questions. You also have a sense of how important it is to think critically about data and research, especially when writing in the social sciences which deals primarily with people. You also have a basic understanding of some of the different features of social science writing, such as APA citing and the use of figures and tables, but also how these features communicate to their audience. Our hope is that by reading this chapter, you are introduced to some of the writing tasks you might encounter in the social sciences and how you might tackle some of these tasks. We also hope that you feel reassured—writing in the social sciences involves many of the basic principles that we’ve outlined in this guide already: writing takes practice and we (and your instructors) are here to help.