Unit of analysis
Encyclopedia
The unit of analysis is the major entity
that is being analyzed in the study
. It is the 'what' or 'whom' that is being studied. In social science research
, typical units of analysis include individuals (most common), groups
, social organizations and social artifact
s.
The literature of International Relations serves as a good example of unit of analysis. In "Man, State and War", Kenneth N. Waltz creates a tripartite analysis with three different units of analysis: the man (individual), the state (a group), and war (the system in which groups interact).
This is not to be confused with the unit of observation
, which is the unit on which one collects data (data on neighborhoods of people using the U.S. Census, on individuals using surveys, etc.). For example, a study may have a unit of observation at the individual level but may have the unit of analysis at the neighborhood level, drawing conclusions on neighborhood characteristics from data collected from individuals.
Entity
An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, although it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.An entity could be viewed as a set...
that is being analyzed in the study
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
. It is the 'what' or 'whom' that is being studied. In social science research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, typical units of analysis include individuals (most common), groups
Group (sociology)
In the social sciences a social group can be defined as two or more humans who interact with one another, share similar characteristics and collectively have a sense of unity...
, social organizations and social artifact
Social artifact
Social artifact is any product of individuals or groups or of their social behavior.Artifacts are the objects or products designed and used by people to meet re-occurring needs or to solve problems....
s.
The literature of International Relations serves as a good example of unit of analysis. In "Man, State and War", Kenneth N. Waltz creates a tripartite analysis with three different units of analysis: the man (individual), the state (a group), and war (the system in which groups interact).
This is not to be confused with the unit of observation
Unit of observation
The Unit of observation is the unit on which one collects data . For example, a study may have a unit of observation at the individual level but may have the unit of analysis at the neighborhood level, drawing conclusions on neighborhood characteristics from data collected from individuals....
, which is the unit on which one collects data (data on neighborhoods of people using the U.S. Census, on individuals using surveys, etc.). For example, a study may have a unit of observation at the individual level but may have the unit of analysis at the neighborhood level, drawing conclusions on neighborhood characteristics from data collected from individuals.