What counts as "research experience"?

[pbspoon]

I'm applying for Fall 2020, mostly joint programs in Soc/Public Policy with some straight Sociology and some Public Admin PhDs thrown in as the programs seem to align with my interests. All of the emphasis on research experience in department admissions FAQs and on forums is making me nervous, because I have no true social-science research in my background. I do have a lot of experience with other kinds of research, so I'm wondering what I can legitimately count. Would greatly appreciate thoughts!

Here's what research I can claim:

• Legal research (significant research/writing as a clerk to a federal judge, several legal summer internships that were all research/writing -- likely 2 of my 3 LORs will reflect my strengths in writing and this kind of research)
• Political science, but not in a data-y way (my senior thesis in college -- written in 2010, mind you -- was a political-theory thesis and basically law/philosophy/history/gender studies research, including original interviews but no data sets; my study abroad in college was an independent research paper on Swiss neutrality and advocacy NGOs, also reliant on interviews and poli sci literature)
• Lots of fact-checking and editing work with legal academics as the editor in chief of a legal academic journal

The only true "data analysis" work I can claim would be really digging the bottom of the barrel: I took a few Psych/Neuro classes in undergrad (again, like 2008) that involved gathering data, doing analysis, and writing "scientific"-esque papers with graphs and p values and such.

My questions are really these:

• Would any of this hold sway for a Soc adcomm looking for applicants with research experience?
• Can I legitimately answer the question "Do you have undergraduate research experience?" with a yes?
• Should I just give up for now and go get social-science research experience via a job or Masters program before trying for a PhD?

Thanks!

Edited October 1, 2019 by pbspoon

[sociopolitic]

Interviews are a valid form of qualitative field research. You likely weren't using them in as rigorous a manner as qualitative sociologists tend to, but neither do most people as undergrads. But yeah, not all research requires statistical modeling in sociology. 

So the short answer is yes, you do have undergraduate research experience. And not an insignificant amount of it either. What you really need to focus on now is demonstrating that you can think like a sociologist (or at least a social scientist, more broadly conceived). Letters could help with this, but the best way to do it is to read the sociological literature that's most relevant to your interests and be able to explain in your SOP how you want your work to fit into it. 

[pbspoon]

Thank you! That's both helpful information and very reassuring. I feel much more confident with my ability to express interest/ability/sociological thinking in my SOP than with other aspects of my application, so hearing this is a relief!

[dakotadakota]

-yes, for sure. most research experience PhD applicants have had are fact-checking, editing, or simply staring at spreadsheets for weeks, not doing anything until their boss tells them to play secretary or fetch some coffee. the experiences you have are definitely worth including and some competitive applicants will not even have this level of experience, tbh. 

-yes, you can.

-you should do whatever it is you're comfortable doing, however, i doubt that you need to waste your money with a masters program considering the fact that you already have legitimate research experience. just my take tho, others may disagree