Facts
A fact is something that is true, regardless of whether or not we would like it to be true.
For example, it is a fact that, at the end of your course, you will be tested. How well you do in these exams will determine the grade you are awarded at the end of your course. This is a fact because it will happen to you regardless of whether or not you want it to happen.
One major characteristic
of factual knowledge
is that it is considered true because we have tried to test
it in some way (for example, through observing something over time) and
found that we cannot show it to be false. A widely-used sociological
method of research in this respect is that of comparative analysis. This allows
sociologists to compare different societies and cultures to discover patterns of
consistent behaviour (and hence to develop factual knowledge).
For example, I have observed various sociology courses over time and found it to be true that there is always an examination at the end of the course.
This is not to say that facts are always "true for all time" (for example, sometime in the future sociology grades may not be awarded on the basis of end of course tests - they may be examined in some other way). However, given certain specified conditions, a fact is a statement that is true while those conditions apply.