Assignment:
In the textbox provided, brainstorm a list of keywords related to your topic.
Question 1. Now type those keywords into an Internet search engine, such as Google. Spend some time looking through the results. In the textbox below, jot down the titles and hyperlinks of a few of the most interesting articles and websites that come up in your search. Write down at least one article and the corresponding hyperlink for each keyword or group of keywords.
Question 2. What are you finding? What new information have you learned about this issue? What new questions or thoughts do you have now that you have done some preliminary research?
Question 3. Can you narrow your focus at all? If so, what do you wish to focus on? If you have a few options, what are they? (You don't necessarily need to narrow your focus. Mark found this helpful to do because his topic is very broad.)
Question 4. Based on the broad search, refine the list of keywords that you created on the previous page. List here any keywords or keyword combinations that returned results that are relevant to your social science issue. Then, note which keywords or combinations you will no longer use, as they returned off-topic or overly broad results.
Question 5. What professional organizations (other than social science organizations) might have relevant information about your issue? For example, someone researching war might utilize information provided by the United States Department of Defense.
Find 1-2 organizations, and note them here.
Question 6. Now select one of the digital libraries or organizations mentioned in this learning block (Shapiro Library, Google Scholar, etc.), and plug your keywords into that site. What credible sources come up in your search? Repeat this step with at least one more digital library/organization. In the textbox, type the titles of 6-8 of the most relevant results along with the corresponding hyperlinks so you can locate these resources later. Note which digital library/organization you used to find each study.
Question 7. Collect any information, links, articles, reports, or other resources that are relevant to your issue and capture this additional information in the text box below. Again, be sure to include links to your resources so you can easily locate them later.
Question 8. Begin by noting the title of the resource and including a link to it.
Is this source current? Note the publication date or a date indicating when the content was last updated.
Answer in complete sentences, being sure to include supporting evidence from your source to support your conclusions.
Question 9. Is this source relevant? Note the portion of the text that you believe clearly relates to your research question. Consider whether this source provides an overview of the issue you are interested in, or whether it makes some specific important point.
Question 10. Is this source accurate? Note whether the source has been published in a peer-reviewed journal or credible organization, and the organization's name. Note whether the source includes a list of references and citations. Give your opinion on the source's presentation - is it clear, organized, professional, and free of errors?
Question 11. Is this source authoritative? Note the author's credentials. If no author is given, note whether the publishing organization is credible, and the organization's name again.
Question 12. Are there any red flags that make you concerned that this source may not be scholarly? For example, are there any clearly biased passages? Are the references all very old? Are there many spelling and grammatical errors? Note any and all concerns you may have.