ENGL 127 Research Writing: Social Sciences (Pittser)

This research guide is for students enrolled in Lina Pittser's English 127: Research Writing with a focus on Family, Gender, and Sexuality

Online reference sources

Start with Reference

Use the following online reference databases to find electronic articles from academic subject encyclopedias

The role of reference

For an example of a reference article that can help you get started on a research project, check out the article linked above: Media and Gender Stereotypes, from the Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, ed. Jody O'Brien. Sage. 2009.

The screenshot below shows how even its opening paragraph provides key terms, definitions, issues, concepts and ways one might narrow and focus this broad topic.

What's reference?

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Reference sources are a great place to start your research
What is reference?

A reference collection is a set of books, databases and other items that provide background information on a topic.

A reference collection includes general sources such as dictionaries and encyclopedias. In college libraries, reference collections include specialized subject encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family.

Why start with reference?
  • To gather background information that provides context, history and insight into your subject.

  • To get a sense of key issues, concepts and terminology.

  • To gather key words (or keywords) you can use to search for relevant source material on the subject.

Learn about the broad topic first. Then you will understand where to focus your research and discussion more deeply.