Most social scientists use their skills to help government officials, business executives, and educators. They help these people solve economic, social, and environmental problems. Research is a basic activity for many social scientists. They gather facts and create theories. Some research is designed to produce information that will help people make good decisions.
Social scientists use interviews and surveys to collect information.
Data collection takes many forms. One form involves living and working among the people being studied, including speaking their native language. Another form of data collection is field investigations. This includes the analysis of historical records and documents. The laboratory experiment is a third form of data collection.