2.1b Peer-Reviewed Research

Photo 2.2

A Researcher Presenting Their Research at a Conference

Experts who typically work in universities, governments, and think tanks conduct peer-reviewed research. Sociologists, like other scientists, conduct research as part of their job, getting input from peers (other researchers in their field) at multiple stages of the process. They may present their research at a conference where their peers offer feedback and help them improve the research.

Publishing Peer Reviewed Research

Once the researcher is ready to publish their findings, they send it to a peer-reviewed journal. They will report their findings and research questions, a summary of what other sociologists have learned about the topic (a literature review), explain the methods they used, report their results, and discuss the importance of their research findings. The journal editor sends the report to other experts in the field (peer reviewers) who assess the study’s methods, and results. They provide feedback and recommend whether the manuscript should be published, revised before publication, or rejected.

Most research reports sent to peer-reviewed journals are either rejected or require revision to be published. For example, the peer-reviewed journal American Sociological Review published only 5.13% of the articles sent to them in 2023 (American Sociological Association, 2024). Many articles must be revised several times before they are considered ready for publication. The revision process does not focus on fixing typos. Instead, it confirms the sociologist has made sound decisions about their research methods and results that adhere to scientific standards. Peer-reviewed research is thus high-quality information.

What Does Peer-Reviewed Research Find About Money and Plans for Having Children?

As to how money influences decisions about having children, peer-reviewed research agrees that money matters. Martin (2021, p. 1034) interviewed “72 childless U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 40 about their” plans for having children. She conducted follow-up surveys with a subset of the group four years later. Martin found that economic factors were prominent in women’s accounts about their desires and intentions around motherhood. They expressed the need to save money to support their family during unpaid parental leave, earn more for childcare, and pay down debt such as student loans.