Sociology Data Lab (SDL) is a research laboratory focused on quantitative methodologies in social research at the Department of Sociology, Boğaziçi University. Research projects at SDL include a wide array of subjects some of which are population studies, gender and sexuality, public health, and public opinion research. Alongside with classical survey studies, SDL aims to extend its borders of operations to newly emerging methodologies and study areas such as social network analysis, computational sociology, and agent-based social modeling.
Studies at the SDL are designed to:
- Understand and interpret the changing dynamics in the social structure as well as social-political values and attitudes primarily in Turkish society.
- Offer nationally representative data that are generalizable to the Turkish public with the use of cross-sectional design.
- Create a community where researchers, academics, students, media, governmental institutions, NGOs, and policy makers can benefit from quantitative research.
- Disseminate topline results to the wider general public.
SDL also prioritizes providing graduate and undergraduate students hands-on experiences with research processes including survey design, sampling, quantitative measurement, literature review and data analysis. In this respect, SDL aims to create a supportive environment for students interested in applying quantitative methods and research skills in real-world research efforts.
SDL also cooperates with international research communities and institutions for research projects and facilitates workshops regarding subjects of interest. In these workshops, experts on ongoing studies share their knowledge and experience.
