COVID-19 and Social Sciences Research in Community Settings

This chapter looks at the major challenges the social scientists and social researchers are facing in conducting social research during this COVID-19 pandemic due to their physical inaccessibility to the community. The chapter also provides some alternative ways to reduce these challenges using different techniques within the latitudes of social sciences research. This chapter is based on authors' empirical observations, and some evidence is obtained from the experts' opinions working in different disciplines in social sciences. Results found some practical challenges (i.e., many social researchers stop their research practices due to inaccessibility in the communities; many of them started their research, but could not finish it; some researchers are doing their research using alternative tools and techniques; and research funding has been frizzed due to this pandemic). Findings would be useful to the social sciences researchers, academics, research students, policymakers, and development practitioners.