Writing Social Science:A Personal Narrative

Judge, Paramjit. 2019. Writing Social Science: A Personal Narrative. Jaipur: Rawat Publication. ISBN- 978-81-316-1098-5.

Writing is a complex activity, especially in the realm of social sciences, where clarity, concise argumentation and critical thinking are indispensable. This book provides an introspective view of how to write in the discipline of social sciences. It guides readers on crafting social sciences, encapsulating varied dimensions of writing, ranging from venturing to writing to comprehension of ethics and plagiarism in research. As a student who is setting foot in social science research, writing skill is pivotal. Thus, this book caught my attention, and it was a good read that assisted in the understanding of the philosophy of writing.
In this book, Paramjit Judge adeptly explores the process of writing in social science. In the first part, one can understand what one should do before venturing to write, like developing reading habits, understanding the use of metaphors in writing, and diverse theoretical perspectives. Metaphors are crucial as they are signs of rich passion and vocabulary used in clinching the argument as well as adding philosophical depth to the writing, thus becoming pivotal in the writing process. When it comes to social science reading, you can’t skip anything, as everything is related to social reality, which is the crux of understanding the social world. Writing social sciences is different from any other form of poetry or art; thus, it is crucial to ask why and what one should write, which is the focus of the next section of the book. It emphasises asking the right questions before beginning to search for answers.
Ideology is one of the essential factors that guide social science research, making it important to understand before writing and publishing research in social sciences. In the next section, the book underlines the prerequisites of writing social science research as a professional commitment. It meticulously offers a step-by-step guide on the structure, emphasising the importance of the opening paragraph, theoretical perspective, review of literature, statement of objectives, research questions, hypothesis, methodology, discussion of data and concluding paper, discusses it at greater length. It highlights the theoretical perspective to understanding social reality and aids in understanding diverse ways of doing a literature review.
Writing comes with great responsibility, as it not only reflects the knowledge on the part of the author but also upholds certain values, ethics and accountability. The next section deals with an illustration of imaginary facts, how to state the truth in writing while owning facts, and the importance of ethics and plagiarism. While the overall discussion on academic writing is commendable, the section on the discussion of data exclusively focuses on quantitative data and analysis; it could be enhanced by adding a discussion on qualitative data analysis, as it’s a major part of social science research. Overall, the book imparts a clear and concise way of writing social science, as the author’s personal experience as a student is included, and it resonates with young scholars in the field. The anecdote provides a sense of reality, making the writing process more relatable. That is where I personally felt most connected to the book- it resonated with my personal experience. I would assert that this book is a read for anyone who wants to acquire knowledge of professional writing.