Library: ENGL 100 (Hagan) SP25: Home

Welcome ENGL 100!

Questions? Email Stacey at svonwinckelmann@miracosta.edu

MLA Citations

Assignment

Spelling counts! Not seeing many results? Double-check your spelling.
Try "Phrase Searching" - Place quotation marks around keywords to keep them together.
- Example: "social media" "echo chambers"
Use AND to combine terms.
- Example: "filter bubbles" AND algorithms
Apply Truncation (shift + 8 to get the asterisk) to search multiple word variations.
- Example: algorithm* searches algorithm, algorithms, and algorithmic
Grow your keywords in abstracts, article titles, and subjects.

Keyword searching is not an exact science. Experiment with different combinations for the best results.

1. Preliminary Topic: How has technology positively and/or negatively impacted our lives and/or relationships with one another?

2. Select a Focus Example: Social media algorithms

3. Brainstorming Keywords: Before diving into research, create a list of synonyms and related terms.

Information & Engagement - Information exposure, content engagement, ideological division, public opinion
Algorithmic Influence - Personalization, content curation, recommendation systems
Social & Political Effects - Disinformation, misinformation, algorithmic bias, social media addiction, filter bubbles, echo chambers, polarization

Now that you've explored the topic, refine your research question and keywords.

Research Question: How do social media algorithms influence our interactions online?

Main Concept	Possible Research Aspects
"Social media" AND Algorithms	Polarization Misinformation Disinformation Filter bubbles Bias

Example Search: "social media" AND algorithms AND disinformation

Gale eBooks (GVRL Encyclopedias) This link opens in a new window
Contains eBooks, encyclopedias, and specialized sources for research in almost all subjects.
EBSCOhost : All Databases This link opens in a new window
New interface! Cross-search all EBSCO databases (50+); magazines, journals, ebooks, news and primary sources, covering multi-disciplinary topics.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
A social issues database with full-text periodical articles, viewpoint essays, reference material, statistics, topic overviews and websites, organized under popular research topic headings.

Copy the Citation Chart into a Google Doc or Word file.
Find 10 Potential Sources relevant to your essay.
Locate MLA Citations using database citation tools. Double-check citations with our MLA Style Guide.
Add Permalinks for sources found in library databases.
Write Notes on why each source is useful or how you might use it.
(Optional): Add up to 5 extra sources in case you need alternatives.