Research Workshop
Sociology 4B: Intro. to Social Theory
Some common research problems
+ how you can solve them
10.23.2019 | Simon Elichko
Social Sciences & Data Librarian
Some common research problems:
Paywalls
Info Overload
Broken Links
Confirmation Bias
Paywalls
Paywalls → Library Subscriptions
You can get articles from thousands of newspapers, magazines, and journals through Swarthmore's Libraries.
Find a specific article:
Explore what's available:
Paywalls
Info Overload
Broken Links
Confirmation Bias
Info Overload → Focused Searches
Where you search (which website(s))
How you search (keywords and filters)
Get a manageable number
of better results:
Choose Academic Research Tools:
These websites mostly limit your results to academic research.
e.g. Search JSTOR, Tripod, or Google Scholar instead of Google.
Research by Subject
Find the right kind of research by searching a subject-specific database.
e.g. Sociology: Sociolgical Abstracts
Info Overload → Focused Searches
Where you search (which website)
How you search (keywords and filters)
Choose your keywords carefully
Test, observe, adjust
Combine your
keywords
Use filters to focus
your search results
Web Archives
If you come across a broken link, copy the URL + search for it using Wayback Machine.
Paywalls
Info Overload
Broken Links
Confirmation Bias
Paywalls
Info Overload
Broken Links
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation Bias?
"...in a database containing millions of sentences, full-text search can turn up twenty examples of anything."
Underwood, Ted. “Theorizing Research Practices We Forgot to Theorize Twenty Years Ago.” Representations 127, no. 1 (August 2014): 64–72. https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2014.127.1.64.
Confirmation Bias --> Research Skills
To build your research skills, get help from Swarthmore's librarians and RIAs.
RIAs are students who can help you find sources, clarify questions, and learn about relevant resources.
Drop-in hours, chat, appointments:
swarthmore.edu/libraries/get-help
Librarians also have expertise in particular subjects.
SOCI 4B
By Swarthmore Reference
SOCI 4B
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