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CONQUER THE WORLD THROUGH RESEARCH
SOC 101 – Brian Brutlag
Stephanie Wells, Librarian
Today you will learn how to…1.Find books and journal articles.
2.Develop strategies for narrowing your topic.
3.Use advanced search strategies in ProQuest Research Library to find scholarly journal articles on your topic.
Research SourcesENCYCLOPEDIASProvide short entries/articles for an overview of the topic and its main ideas .
BOOKSGive more information for an in-depth exploration of one or more aspects of the topic.(Example: Case study books, textbooks)
SEARCH TOOL:LIBRARY CATALOG
SEARCH TOOL:LIBRARY CATALOG
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
JOURNAL ARTICLESLengthy scholarly research studies on an extremely focused aspect of a subject.
Research SourcesNEWSPAPER ARTICLESVery brief news reports that focus on current events or topics currently in the news.
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
SEARCH TOOL:PERIODICAL DATABASE
MAGAZINE ARTICLESAs short as encyclopedia articles, but instead of an overview, magazines narrow the focus to one or two specific aspects of a topic.
Two Search Tools to Find Good SourcesPROQUEST
RESEARCH LIBRARY(Journal Articles)
LIBRARY CATALOG(Books)
Start research from the library webpage
FIND BOOKS
FIND JOURNAL, MAGAZINE,
AND NEWSPAPER
ARTICLES
TYPE IN KEYWORDS THEN
CLICK “SEARCH ALL”
SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE UNTIL YOU FIND A GOOD TITLE
CLICK ON TITLE TO SEE MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE BOOK
BOOK IS FILED ON THE SHELF
ALPHABETICALLY & NUMERICALLY
“CIRCULATING BOOK” MEANS
YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT
CLICK ON “CATALOG
RECORD” FOR MORE
INFORMATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS IS
INCLUDED FOR MOST
BOOKS
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
USE THE “SUBJECTS” TO FIND MORE BOOKS LIKE
THIS ONE
CLICK HERE
WE WENT FROM 16 NOT SO GOOD TITLES TO 33 BETTER ONES!
YOU WILL USUALLY FIND BETTER
BOOKS BY FINDING (AND USING!) THE
SUBJECT HEADINGS
First, Create A Good Search Strategy
Narrow your topic to one manageable issue
The words are key: create a good keyword search strategy
Excellent Narrowed TopicPlastic Surgery
“How does television influence a woman to opt for plastic surgery?”
Research requirements: 1. Examination of images in the media and how they
relate to the majority of women in society that watches that media.
2. Examination of factors that contribute to women’s decision to have plastic surgery.
Characteristics: 3. Debatable.4. Plausible.5. Consequential.
Excellent Narrowed TopicClass Inequality
“What role does class play in higher education in terms of acceptance and type of education
available?”
Characteristics: 1. Debatable: does class play a role at all?2. Plausible: both sides of the argument have plausible
reasons. It can be argued that scholarship and grant opportunities eliminate the class barrier. It can also be argued that historical discrimination creates underprepared students.
3. Consequential: whether one has access to a good education affects the health of both the individual, his/her family, community, and also the health of the global community.
Narrow Your TopicMost topics are too ambitious.
Select ONE compelling aspect of your topic, and focus on that aspect only.
What effect s do maquiladoras have on border towns?
Multiple “effects:”Economic?Environmental?Crime?Treatment of women factory workers?Immigration?
Need to choose one AND identify a controversy.
How to narrow your topic: two steps
1. Read Article in Subject Encyclopedia. i.e. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
2. Ask a question about your issue. Your answer will form your thesis statement, and the evidence will form your paper or speech:
Topic: Race in the entertainment industry
Narrowed Research Question: How does the entertainment industry contribute to racial and ethnic stereotypes in society?
Come up with keywords
1. What is my issue?Example: Race in the entertainment industry
2. What do I want to know? How does the entertainment industry contribute to racial and ethnic stereotypes in society?
3. What are the main words in the question?
entertainment industry racial ethnic stereotypes
Construct a keyword search
4. What are other forms of my keywords?
(racial OR ethnic)
“entertainmentindustry”
stereotyp*
SIMILAR & RELATED TERMSFind ALL related resources
TRUNCATIONSearches for all words with the same stem
(stereotype, stereotyping)
PHRASE SEARCHINGUse “quotation marks” around
common phrases
A Good Keyword Search Saves Time5. Put your keywords together and use them to search
both periodical databases and internet search engines:
Periodical Databases
PROQUEST RESEARCH LIBRARY
CQ RESEARCHER
Scholarly Journal Articles
What is a scholarly journal?
How can you tell if you have found a scholarly journal article?
1. If you haven’t sufficiently narrowed your topic, use Gale Virtual Reference to locate an encyclopedia article on your topic. Read it and write a narrowed research question.
2. Test various keyword search combinations in ProQuest Research Library. Try to get a list of under 400 articles for your narrowed topic.
Activity: Narrow Your Topic and Search ProQuest
QUESTIONS? 562-908-3484
Stephanie Wells swells@riohondo.edu
Thank you for visitingThe Rio Hondo College Library!
RESEARCH GUIDE FOR SOC 116libguides.riohondo.edu/Brutlagsoc116
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