Give the classic statement on objectivity and neutrality in social science?

Objectivity refers to a sincere search for the facts, whatever the reality may turn out to be, and whatever consequences it may have, social science is said to be objective to the extent that it succeeds in finding and generalizing facts while removing from the viewpoint of the particular researcher. The word neutrality in research refers to an investigation that is unbiased or is unaffected by the researcher's viewpoints, context, status, or influencing situations. When research or a study is defined as impartial, the investigation is assumed to be reliable and valid.

To be impartial, a researcher must not let their beliefs, biases, or opinions influence their study, evaluation, or conclusions. Objectivity is essential for a study to be credible and considered scientific. Some argue that sociology can never be fully impartial because researchers' beliefs and principles are bound to influence their subject selection.

Many people believe that social science reports are factual in the sense that they might and must be the same regardless of who wrote them. They believe that objective accounts are those that look at others from a variety of perspectives and, as a result, see sociological trends as they are or were. They should be created without regard for any specific issues, decisions, or expectations. Social scientists are seen as passive data collectors and organizers from this viewpoint. Their ability to see clearly, organize their content simply but thoroughly, and communicate their conclusions concisely is used to assess their knowledge.

We don't expect all the evidence presented by social scientists to endorse either the theoretical points or the analytic decisions they make because social life is complicated and cultures are vastly different. However, when social science accounts only reference data that supports or reinforces the claims being made, we become suspicious that any important evidence is being ignored or hidden.

Max Weber suggested the principle of value neutrality. It refers to the social researcher's obligation and responsibility to transcend personal prejudices when doing any study. Its aim is to distinguish reality from emotion and to make people less stereotyped. In the medical field, for instance, if a doctor allows his feelings and personal prejudices to control him, he will not be able to perform his responsibilities effectively. It is important for social scientists to be value-neutral because otherwise their observations and analyses could produce skewed and manipulative outcomes.