GU-Q INAF-100-75: The Sociological Imagination in the 21st Century

Research Workflow

• Begin with a general idea or area of interest.
• Do some broad background research on the topic.
• Take notes and create a list of important people, places, dates, things, events, concepts, and questions.
• Take this list of keywords and begin searching in HoyaSearch using a keyword, or combinations of keywords, to discover what resources are available.
• Identify and gain access to some books, book chapters, journal articles, newspaper articles, or multimedia content that could be useful in your research.
• Read and evaluate the resources and decide if they will be helpful in your research

Workflow Example

Use HoyaSearch to conduct a search for Digital Divide and limit the results to Reference Entries.

1. Conduct background research to generate a list of keywords:

• socioeconomic, sociopolitical, and technology gaps
• 2000s
• Paul Gorski
• broadband technology and dial-up access
• smartphones and other mobile technology
• racial digital divide
• non-use of technology:
  • (1) age,
  • (2) income and educational attainment,
  • (3) community type,
  • (4) disability status, and
  • (5) Spanish-speaking preference

2. Return to HoyaSearch with the keywords to conduct a more in-depth search for books, articles, and media content.

• Conduct a search for "Digital Divide" Spanish-speaking.
• Conduct a search for "Digital Divide" mobile learning.
• Broaden your search "Digital Divide" race.

3. Gain access to the materials you need.

• Check out books from the library
• Read E-books and articles online
• Ask a librarian for help if something isn't available

4. Read, Evaluate, and Repeat as needed.