soci 310
library research workshop
FALL 2025 - for Alejandro Herdandez
TO FIND THESE SLIDES & MORE:
Google: soci 310 concordia library
your subject librarian: susie.breier@concordia.ca
ZOOM office hours most Tuesdays 3-5, or by appointment
Text
ZOOM office hours: most Tuesdays
3:30-5:30 pm
AskUs Desk
Webster LB building:
most Fridays 3-5
pronouns: she/her/elle
YOUR ASSIGNMENTS:
where does the
library come in?
-
literature review: 12 peer-reviewed items
...after selecting a research topic, team members will need to identify and read some peer‐reviewed research to see what other researchers have already discovered about that topic.
-
non-participant observation research:
...It is always a good practice not only to read and identify the content of peer‐reviewed research, but also index it ‘on‐the‐go,’ making use of citation software.
-
use apa citation style FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS
2 items of related peer-reviewed literature
What should we cover today?
tell me here:
OUR assignment-based Agenda for today...
BUT FIRST:
NEED ASSISTANCE WITH ANYthing related to library research?
ask questions - GET HELP:
at the AskUs desk
via chat
via email
by phone
Need assistance beyond a quick chat,
and have a bit of time to plan?
your subject librarian: susie.breier@concordia.ca
ZOOM office hours most Tuesdays 3-5, or by appointment
Text
ZOOM office hours: most Tuesdays
3:30-5:30 pm
AskUs Desk
Webster LB building:
most Fridays 3-5
pronouns: she/her/elle
you CAN also find me this way:
assignment-based Agenda
also might cover
finding research
related to your topic
where doyou search for
academic/peer-reviewed research on topic?
tell your classmates
Search for specific library books, ebooks, articles and films
but go beyond sofia to search for topics
use your
soci 310 LIBRARY tips page
Reminder:
see the first section:
Google: soci 310 concordia library
ACCESS THESE NOW!
Back View Of Man In Hoodie Walking On Pedestrian Lane Beside Yellow Building by Scopio from NounProject.com
my topic:
reasons for (not) walking
my tentative research question:
What factors affect university students' decisions about walking outdoors in their neighbourhood and how do these factors relate to race, racism or socioeconomic inequities?
hAVE YOUR SAY:
better KEYWORDS AND results
socindex sample search # 1
socindex sample search #2
*see also: search tips & strategies
WHAT ABOUT THE RELEVANT RESULTS???
INTERESTING ARTICLES MIGHT INCLUDE:
The impact of perceived racism on walking behavior during the COVID-19 lockdown.
A Qualitative Exploration of Factors Associated With Walking and Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Latino Adults.
Black people don't exercise in my neighborhood: Perceived racial composition and leisure-time physical activity among middle class blacks and whites
Racial/ethnic and educational differences in perceptions and use of a New urban trail
Race, immigrant status, and inequality in physical activity: An intersectional and life course approach
now how can you access / download articles you found?
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
google scholar
"CITED BY":
once you have found a relevant article, use
"cited by" to find more recent related material
1
2
3
google scholar findit@concordia TIP:
PEER REVIEWED SOURCES
HOW CAN YOU TELL?
In many Library Databases you can use a checkbox:
BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO EVALUATE:
peer-reviewed articles checklist
anatomy of a typical
scholarly research article
test yourself - which one(s) is/ARE peer-reviewed?
find at least 3 reasons
This blog entry reports on an interesting study which involved many academics, but it is NOT an academic/scholarly/ peer-reviewed article. Scholars are discussing their in-progress study, but they are not framing it within other academic research, nor presenting fully on their methodology or theoretical frameworks.
There is no bibliography!
This IS an academic/scholarly/
peer-reviewed article. Important clues: published in an peer-reviewed journal, academic language, distinct sections. The scholars outline their research questions and describe how they will answer them in their review and arguments.
Long bibliography of references.
still not quite getting it?
VIDEO: peer-review in 3 minutes
what about
THAT literature review?
Most peer-reviewed articles include a literature review within their text, even when it is not separately labeled as such
this paragraph is part of a literature review:
There are differing schools of thought explaining why some individuals are more physically active than others. Given physical activity is often carried out repeatedly, a habitual model has understood physical activity as a habitual behaviour that people develop (e.g., Verplanken & Melkevik, 2008; Hirvensalo & Lintunen, 2011).... In contrast, a structural theory suggests that being physically active is not something that everyone has control over, but is often constrained by structural and environmental factors including family background, neighbourhood context, and institutional arrangement (Ross &Mirowsky, 2001; Cockerham, 2005; Beckfield, 2018).... Disadvantaged groups such as girls, women, individuals occupying lower socioeconomic positions, and those who live in environments with hazardous conditions are often physically less active because of their limited access to safe, accessible, affordable, and appropriate spaces and places (Seefeldt et al., 2002; Suminski et al., 2005; World Health Organization, 2018).
Sher, Chloe, and Cary Wu. 2023. “Race, Immigrant Status, and Inequality in Physical Activity: An Intersectional and Life Course Approach.” Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie 60 (4): 763–800. https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12451.
You can also consult literature review journals. Articles in these journals consist of long and comprehensive literature reviews, with tons of useful references.
examples of literature review journals:
MUCH MORE RELIABLE THAN AI SUMMARIES!
example of ARTICLE in Sociology Compass:
ARTICLE in Annual Review of Sociology:
SEARCH these lit review journals
referencing &
citationS
FROM YOUR assignment guidelines:
For all your assignments, you need to use the APA citation style.
typical examples:
in-text citations (APA style)
Hakkinen and Akrami (2014) found that “individuals are receptive to climate change communications, regardless of ideological position” (p. 65).
Research shows that people from any ideological background are open to hearing about climate change (Hakkinen & Akrami, 2014).
typical examples:
Bibliography (APA style)
see this sample paper with a reference list on p. 17
What about
automatic citation tools?
automatic citation tools
Quick Citation Generators
(for example MyBib, Citation Machine, or those provided within databases like EBSCO, Google Scholar, Sofia)
* Make sure to double check your generated citations - they are not always correct! Use the Library's APA citation style guides to make sure all the required elements of the citation are present and correctly formatted.
automatic citation tools
...It is always a good practice not only to read and identify the content of peer‐reviewed research, but also index it ‘on‐the‐go,’ making use of citation software.
FROM YOUR assignment guidelines:
Note that you can also use citation software to share citations on your topic with your group.
ZOTERO Group Libraries
Quick Videos:
Concordia Library provides support for Zotero.
automatic citation tools
Citation Management SOFTWARE
(for example RefWorks, Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero....)
entering your keywords
SEARCH STRATEGIES
("police brutality" OR "police violence" OR "police shootings")
AND
(racis* OR discriminat* OR bias or profiling)
AND
(defund* OR aboli* OR reform)
IN LIBRARY ARTICLE DATABASES:
IN GOOGLE SChOLAR:
("police brutality" OR "police violence" OR "police shootings") (racism OR discrimination OR bias OR profiling) (defunding OR abolition OR reform)
| TIP | WHAT IT DOES | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
|
AND |
Combines concepts. Limits how many results your search produces |
police AND violence |
|
OR |
Allows for synonyms or alternative terms. Increases the number or results your search produces. |
violence OR brutality |
|
* |
Near the end of a word, retrieves all words that start with the letters entered. Increases the number of results a search produces | Canad* (retrieves Canada, Canadian) |
| “ ” | For two words or more, search for an exact phrase only, rather than each keyword separately. Limits how many results your search produces | “systemic racism” (retrieves systemic racism, but not systemic oppression related to racism) |
search tips & tricks
standard library article databases
Google Scholar
- use OR for alternative terms/ideas/synonyms
- use quotation marks " "
for phrases
- no need to use AND (it is implied)
- DON'T use * ( happens automatically)
library databases
(ebsco, etc)
- use OR for alternative terms/ideas/synonyms
- use quotation marks " "
for phrases
- use AND to combine concepts
- use * to substitute word endings
handout to download:
another example of a keyword
combination in socindex
(YouTube, 7 mins)
Developing your search strategy: VIDEO
search strategy test yourself
from our Library Research Skills Tutorial:
Accessing resources
at concordia & beyond
Search for library books, ebooks, articles and films
what if the library doesn't have it ONLINE?
request a book and pick it up later....
or use the call number and locate button to find it
what if the library DOESN'T have it at all?
search for it in any library worldwide:
... and simply request it!
but you
CAN'T borrow
ONLINE
books
from
other
libraries
what about ai for research and lit reviews??
from your syllabus
Language Processing Tools and AI Software
The use of generative artificial intelligence tools or language processing tools for assignments, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or similar is prohibited in this course. The use of these tools will be deemed as misconduct under Concordia’s Academic Code of Conduct (article 18 that deals with general cheating/plagiarism/dishonest behavior, and article 19a that deals with plagiarism). See the section on Plagiarism below for more information. This particular policy is designed to promote your learning and intellectual development and help you reach the course learning outcomes.
what other tool must you avoid??
... pretty much all of these
Concordia Library AI Literacy guide
more context & basics:
SOCI 310
By susie breier
SOCI 310
Library Workshop slides for SOCI 310 Research Methods course, Concordia Library - for Alejandro Hernandez
