methodical_sample_summary.py

This repository contains methodical_sample_summary.py, a rate-limit-friendly Python script designed to sample and analyze discourse in veteran-focused subreddits. The script provides a structured, keyword-probe approach for collecting representative text data from Reddit, generating frequency counts of unigrams (single words) and bigrams (two-word phrases).

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Purpose

This script was developed as part of a larger dissertation project studying veteran discourse, particularly in communities like r/VeteransBenefits, r/Veterans, and r/VAClaims. The goal is to:

• Compare researcher intuition (keywords chosen deliberately for scraping) with emergent patterns (most frequent words and phrases actually appearing in discussions).
• Work within Reddit's API constraints while still producing methodologically sound samples.
• Avoid pitfalls discovered during earlier iterations (e.g., trying to pin posts to exact historical dates, which Reddit’s API does not reliably support).
• Provide outputs that help identify where researcher bias and community reality converge or diverge.

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Features

• Probe-based sampling: Uses broad, neutral keyword probes (e.g., "claim," "appeal," "rating") to ensure coverage across subreddits.
• Time bounding: Allows setting upper (required) and optional lower date bounds for analysis.
• API-friendly design: Built with conservative defaults to reduce the likelihood of hitting Reddit’s 429 "Too Many Requests" errors.
• Token cleaning and filtering: Removes stopwords and boilerplate to focus on meaningful terms.
• Top-N frequency summaries: Outputs CSV files of the top 20 unigrams and bigrams for each subreddit.
• Optional keyword overlap report: Can check alignment between your probe library and the actual top terms observed.

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Usage

1. Set up Reddit credentials

   • Create a Reddit app (type: script) at https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps.
   • Copy your client ID, client secret, username, password, and user agent into the script config.

2. Adjust configuration

   • Edit the SUBREDDITS list if you want different communities.
   • Modify PROBE_QUERIES if you want to probe with a different set of keywords.
   • Set LATEST_ISO_UTC (required) and optionally EARLIEST_ISO_UTC.

3. Run the script

   python methodical_sample_summary.py

4. View outputs

   • top20_unigrams_by_sub.csv
   • top20_bigrams_by_sub.csv
   • overlap_report.csv (if keyword library provided)

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Development Notes

This script evolved through extensive trial, error, and debugging:

• Early attempts to scrape Reddit by specific dates proved unfeasible due to API limitations.
• Pushshift, once commonly used for historical Reddit data, is unreliable for targeted day-level scrapes.
• The methodical probe approach balances feasibility and rigor, ensuring meaningful samples without overloading Reddit’s API.
• The script intentionally disables comment scraping by default to avoid 429 rate-limit errors, though the logic can be toggled back on if needed.

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Disclaimer

This script was developed with significant assistance from ChatGPT-5, guided by detailed prompts, debugging sessions, and design rationale provided by the repository owner. While ChatGPT-5 co-drafted portions of the code and documentation, all methodological decisions and research framing reflect the owner’s scholarly goals.

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License

This repository is released under the MIT License.