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KeywordWorksheetSOC-151r.docx
SOC-151: Introduction to Sociology
Keyword Builder & Bias Inventory Worksheet
Using the suggested databases and search engines, complete this worksheet.
First, identify a question or topic that is of interest to you. Write your question or topic in box 1 below. All of your future written assignments for this course will be based on this topic.
Box 1: Question or Topic
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In the box 2, write a few thoughts about why this is an appropriate question to research.
Box 2: Why Research?
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In the box 3, write down any biases you have related to your research question. For example,
do you support a certain view, affiliation, author or theory related to your topic? What do you
KNOW about your topic?
Box 3: Biases
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Page 1 of 5
Box 4: Different Perspectives
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Taking into consideration your main topic from box 1—list 3 subcategories of this topic. Review what you know about the topic (from box 3), and different perspectives (box 4) to formulate your subcategories (note: if you already sufficiently narrowed your topic to begin with, then restate it in box 5).
Box 5: Subcategories
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Now choose an area to focus on from one of the subcategories in box 5. In box 6, list some possible keywords you think might get you to the information around this subtopic from box 5.
Box 6: Possible Keywords
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Page 2 of 5
Now, conduct several searches using the keywords you’ve written down. Watch for more specific keywords that will lead you to better information about the subtopic. Write down the more specific keywords as you find them in Box 7 (below). If you didn’t need any more specific keywords, write down why you found what you were looking for on the first try (was your topic too broad, or were you good at identifying keywords early in the exercise?). Note: keywords can include specific theories and authors’ names or organizations.
You may start by searching Google but note that using Google is a good place to start and should not be the ultimate place for finding sources.
Remember at this point you are not trying to find sources, you are looking for common words, phrases, authors, etc. Look for synonyms and related words.
In addition to searching Google, go to the “Library Resources” page in Blackboard This will take you to a library page with library databases. Try searching in these databases to find more keywords.
Box 7: Specific Keywords
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Note to students: notice how the more scholarly /specific keywords are different from the original ones? The goal is to end up with different keywords that are more specific as you go–
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Now, write a few thoughts about the changes you needed to make. In other words, reflect on the changes between box 6 and box 7 (if any). What changes did you need in the keywords to sharpen the effectiveness of the search? What worked? What didn’t work, and why not? What types of literature did you find? Write your observations in Box 8.
Page 3 of 5
Box 8: Observations of What Worked etc.
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In box 9, write down some keywords the topic that would steer you toward journal articles/scholarly sources (such as original research or peer reviewed articles).
Box 9: Keywords for Journal Articles
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In box 10, write keywords that would steer you toward substantive periodicals. (such as articles that interpret research or are more “practitioner” based). These will likely be more ‘jargon’ and specific to the fields of Sociology, Psychology, Criminal Justice etc.
Box 10: Keywords for Periodicals
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Page 4 of 5
In box 11, write keywords that would steer you toward popular articles (Newsweek, newspapers, magazines, etc.)
Box 11: Keywords for Other Articles
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Note to students:
The goal of this assignment is to create a list of keywords that is more scholarly & specific than your original idea. The keywords should fall under a continuum—where they start out very general and end up more focused at the end (refer to this week’s lecture and the comment on chocolate research for more info)
Page 5 of 5
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KeywordWorksheetSOC-151r.docx
SOC-151: Introduction to Sociology
Keyword Builder & Bias Inventory Worksheet
Using the suggested databases and search engines, complete this worksheet.
First, identify a question or topic that is of interest to you. Write your question or topic in box 1 below. All of your future written assignments for this course will be based on this topic.
Box 1: Question or Topic
|
|
In the box 2, write a few thoughts about why this is an appropriate question to research.
Box 2: Why Research?
|
|
In the box 3, write down any biases you have related to your research question. For example,
do you support a certain view, affiliation, author or theory related to your topic? What do you
KNOW about your topic?
Box 3: Biases
|
|
Page 1 of 5
Box 4: Different Perspectives
|
|
Taking into consideration your main topic from box 1—list 3 subcategories of this topic. Review what you know about the topic (from box 3), and different perspectives (box 4) to formulate your subcategories (note: if you already sufficiently narrowed your topic to begin with, then restate it in box 5).
Box 5: Subcategories
|
|
Now choose an area to focus on from one of the subcategories in box 5. In box 6, list some possible keywords you think might get you to the information around this subtopic from box 5.
Box 6: Possible Keywords
|
|
Page 2 of 5
Now, conduct several searches using the keywords you’ve written down. Watch for more specific keywords that will lead you to better information about the subtopic. Write down the more specific keywords as you find them in Box 7 (below). If you didn’t need any more specific keywords, write down why you found what you were looking for on the first try (was your topic too broad, or were you good at identifying keywords early in the exercise?). Note: keywords can include specific theories and authors’ names or organizations.
You may start by searching Google but note that using Google is a good place to start and should not be the ultimate place for finding sources.
Remember at this point you are not trying to find sources, you are looking for common words, phrases, authors, etc. Look for synonyms and related words.
In addition to searching Google, go to the “Library Resources” page in Blackboard This will take you to a library page with library databases. Try searching in these databases to find more keywords.
Box 7: Specific Keywords
|
Note to students: notice how the more scholarly /specific keywords are different from the original ones? The goal is to end up with different keywords that are more specific as you go–
|
Now, write a few thoughts about the changes you needed to make. In other words, reflect on the changes between box 6 and box 7 (if any). What changes did you need in the keywords to sharpen the effectiveness of the search? What worked? What didn’t work, and why not? What types of literature did you find? Write your observations in Box 8.
Page 3 of 5
Box 8: Observations of What Worked etc.
|
|
In box 9, write down some keywords the topic that would steer you toward journal articles/scholarly sources (such as original research or peer reviewed articles).
Box 9: Keywords for Journal Articles
|
|
In box 10, write keywords that would steer you toward substantive periodicals. (such as articles that interpret research or are more “practitioner” based). These will likely be more ‘jargon’ and specific to the fields of Sociology, Psychology, Criminal Justice etc.
Box 10: Keywords for Periodicals
|
|
Page 4 of 5
In box 11, write keywords that would steer you toward popular articles (Newsweek, newspapers, magazines, etc.)
Box 11: Keywords for Other Articles
|
|
Note to students:
The goal of this assignment is to create a list of keywords that is more scholarly & specific than your original idea. The keywords should fall under a continuum—where they start out very general and end up more focused at the end (refer to this week’s lecture and the comment on chocolate research for more info)
Page 5 of 5
