Library: SOC 125 (Williams) SP25: Home

Introduction

Welcome SOC 125!

I'm here to support you with your research.

Questions? Email Stacey at svonwinckelmann@miracosta.edu

Sociology Guide APA Citations

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Keyword Tips

Keywords are the most essential ideas in your topic.

Keep these tips in mind when creating your keywords.

Quotation marks keep words together in a specific order. Ex. "social media"
Use AND, OR to structure your search:
- AND narrows results (e.g., includes all terms).
- OR expands results (e.g., includes synonyms).

Ex. (bullying OR harassment) AND teenagers AND ("social media" OR Instagram)

Truncation (asterisk = shift + 8) searches variations of a word at once.
- Ex. teen* - teens, teenager, teenagers

Creating Keywords

Using your research topic or question, brainstorm a list of keywords. Then, conduct background research in Gale Ebooks or OneSearch to learn more and refine your keywords. The videos below will walk you through how to do this.

1. Break Your Topic into Key Concepts

Breaking your topic into main concepts helps identify the most important ideas to search for in databases. Start with the main ideas of your social problem.

Example Topic: Bullying
- What: Bullying
- Whom: Teens
- Where: "Social Media"

2. Create Synonyms & Related Terms

Expand your search by brainstorming alternate words or phrases:

Concept	Synonyms/Related Terms
Bullying	Harassment, Intimidation, Cyberbullying
Teens	Adolescents, Youth, High School Students
Social Media	Instagram, TikTok, Facebook

Empirical Articles vs Literature Reviews

Empirical Articles	Literature Reviews
Based on original research conducted by the authors. Often include tables, charts, and graphs Includes sections like 'Introduction,' 'Methods,' 'Results,' and 'Discussion.' Details how the study was conducted, including data collection and analysis. Provides specific information about participants, experiments, and data.	Summarizes and synthesizes existing research on a specific topic. Keywords like "critical," "systematic," "scoping," or "meta-analysis" in title or abstract, along with the term "review". Mentions combining data from several studies in the abstract. Discusses various studies broadly without specific data or experiments. Focuses on combining data from existing studies rather than new ones. Lacks sections like 'Methods' or 'Results.'

Empirical Articles

Literature Reviews

Based on original research conducted by the authors.

Often include tables, charts, and graphs
Includes sections like 'Introduction,' 'Methods,' 'Results,' and 'Discussion.'
Details how the study was conducted, including data collection and analysis.
Provides specific information about participants, experiments, and data.

Summarizes and synthesizes existing research on a specific topic.

Keywords like "critical," "systematic," "scoping," or "meta-analysis" in title or abstract, along with the term "review".
Mentions combining data from several studies in the abstract.
Discusses various studies broadly without specific data or experiments.
Focuses on combining data from existing studies rather than new ones.
Lacks sections like 'Methods' or 'Results.'

Where to Find Key Study Details in an Empirical Article

Question	What to Look For	Section in the Article
What: What does the researcher want to know or explore?	The study’s research question(s), purpose, and hypothesis.	Abstract & Introduction
Whom: Who or what is the focus of the study?	The population/sample being studied (e.g., demographics, characteristics).	Abstract & Methods (Data Collection)
How: How does the researcher collect the data?	Research methods (e.g., surveys, experiments, interviews, datasets).	Methods (Data Collection & Procedure)
When: When is the data collected?	The time frame of data collection (e.g., specific years, longitudinal study).	Methods (Data Collection & Study Design)
Under What Circumstances: What specific conditions or context shape how the data is gathered?	The study’s setting, external influences, or controlled variables (e.g., conducted during a pandemic, only participants from specific groups included).	Methods (Study Design & Limitations/Discussion)

SOC 125 (Williams) SP25