SOC 114Marriage, Family & Intimate

Relationships

B. Brutlag, Instructor

J. Sevilla-Marzona, LibrarianFall 2009

Step 1: Understand the Assignment

• Read the assignment sheet carefully.• What are you expected to write about

the assigned topic?• Are you expected to write a research

paper? Discuss your findings in an oral presentation? Both?

• What should your presentation have?• How long should it be?• How many sources do you need to

use?• When is it due? And so on….

Step 2: Select Your Topic • How can you narrow your topic?

– Course readings?

– Select a current event by watching the news, reading An article from a newspaper, magazine or the Web, or listening to talk radio.

– What are your personal interests?

– How about a general encyclopedia?

• A good topic is:– Current– Researchable– Controversial or

debatable– Can be covered

reasonably well within the limits of the assignment

– Not too broad, not too narrow, but just right!You can always ask a librarian

for help!

Step 3: Define Your Topic(Class Exercise)

• Use a reference source to get background information:– Dictionary– General encyclopedia– Subject-specific encyclopedia

How do I define or narrow my topic? 1. Identify keywords and concepts

2. Facets – Dimensions – Aspects

of the Topic

• Jot down the most significant words and ideas in your topic.– Example

• Look up synonyms or related terms for these keywords and concepts.– Example

3. Connect the dots…

• Now you’re ready to start!

Divorce

Effects on childrenEffects on work: productivity and quality

Effects on extended familyEffects on

husband’s vs. wife’s income

Effects on health

Step 4: What Sources Will You Need?

• Books?

• Articles?

• Quotations?

• Personal Interviews?

Step 5: Locating Books

• To find books, use the Library’s online catalog, http://library.riohondo.edu/ and choose WebCat.

• Search by:– Subject– Author– Title– Search Everything

Step 6: Finding Articles

• Why articles?– Usually more recent →

may discuss the status of the controversy

– Shorter than books → summarize one of more major arguments, usually citing a specific example or several cases

• Use Online Databases– Searchable because

the databases contain an index

– Contain full-text articles from thousands of magazines, journals and newspapers

– Note: RHCL has more than 40 databases, many of which are subscription-only.

ARTICLES & MORE◊ ProQuest

◊ SIRS◊ PsycARTICLES

◊ Issues & Controversies ◊ ArtStor

◊ Gale Virtual Reference     Library  

◊  Trials   More... 

ONLINE DATABASES◊ A-Z List

◊ Subject List◊ Off-campus access

Some useful databases for SOC114:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library ≈ 1,000 reference e-books

• ProQuest

• PsycArticles

• Health Reference Center –Academic

• Social Science Data Search

Step 7 (or the beginnings of):Finding Web Sites

• As a general rule, consult the section “Subject Guides” in the Library’s home page.

• http://library.riohondo.edu

Web Searching

• Use at least two of your keywords.– Example: marriage counseling reconciliation

• Specify where to search (domain).– Example: site:.edu

• Use quotation marks around phrases.– Example: “evil stepmother”– Example: “stay at home mom” “children’s health”

Visual Aids

• Library: Consult WebCat for Posters,

DVDs and VHS

• Web: Google Images, Yahoo Images, YouTube

ASA Citation Formats

Don’t forget to ask a librarian for help, either in person

or by phone(562) 908-3484