TY - JOUR N2 - The paper presents the indicator method as an important tool of research in social sciences with the focus on socio-economic geography. It introduces the notion of indicator in the methodological meaning and concentrates on its basic type, i.e. the inferential indicator. The concept of an indicator is explained using a realistic approach, which assumes that unobservable conceptual properties can be represented by observable real properties. In this approach, an indicator is characterised as an observable variable assumed to point to, or estimate, some other unobservable variable. The indicator method is then a way of the realistic conceptualization and a cognitive operation as well. The paper contains the systematization of cognitive indicators in socio-economic geography. It also shows the examples of the construction and interpretation of applied indicators. L1 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/109744/PDF/studreg-50-03.pdf L2 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/109744 PY - 2017 EP - 61 KW - observable and unobservable properties KW - realistic conceptualization KW - systematization of cognitiveindicators KW - examples of indicators KW - socio-economic geography A1 - Czyż, Teresa PB - Polish Academy of Sciences – Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning and European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Polish Section VL - vol. 50 DA - 2017 T1 - Methodological problems in the design of indicators in social sciences with the focus on socio-economic geography SP - 49 UR - http://www.journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/109744 T2 - Studia Regionalia ER -