Table of Contents
Definition of Sample
(noun) A subset of a population selected to represent the entire population.
Sample Pronunciation
Syllabification: sam·ple
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sAm-puhl/
- British English – /sAHm-puhl/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈsæmpəl/
- British English – /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/
Usage Notes
- Plural: samples
- Type: random sample
Related Quotation
- “[R]esearchers frequently select a representative sample (a small group of respondents) from a larger population (the total group of people) to answer questions about their attitudes, opinions, or behavior” (Kendall 2006:31).
Related Video
Additional Information
- Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “sample” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- attribute
- cohort
- control group
- correlation
- data
- descriptive statistics
- inferential statistics
- statistics
- statistical analysis
- survey
Reference
Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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Cite the Definition of Sample
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sample.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sample/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
sample. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/sample/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “sample.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/sample/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“sample.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sample/>.