Scientific research comes in many shapes and forms. Correlation research tells us if factors are related to each other. Experimental research determines if one factor causes another. Social research, presents an immediate challenge because of the infinite number of human variables. Besides the number of variables, what factors are challenges to social research?

          Social research is research conducted by social scientists. I think there are several factors that are challenges to social research. One of the more important factors is for a researcher to determine which research method to use. Research methods include correlational or experimental methods. Myers (2010), "correlational studies, sometimes conducted with systematic survey methods, discern the relationship between variables, such as between amount of education and amount of income" (p. 29). As for experimental, this is a means to conduct experiments, which explore cause and effect. Both correlational and experimental methods have an important effect on the outcome of the research. Other factors that are a challenge to social research are where research is conducted, ethics and bias. As for where research is conducted, it is either performed in a laboratory or in the environment. As for ethics, they are moral principles that guide how research is conducted, and protect the participant of research. If ethics are not followed research becomes invalid and unreliable. As for bias, once displayed it hinders the outcome of social research. Social research depends heavily on ethical and unbiased research.      

Reference

Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.