EX03_Task
SCS 200 Module Three Short Response Guidelines and
Rubric
Overview: The short response activities in the webtext throughout this course are designed to show your understanding of key concepts as you engage with course content.
Prompt: During the third week of the course, you will respond to several questions in the webtext as you complete this week’s reading. At the end of Module Three, you will review your answers to these questions and ensure that you have responded to each question. It is important that you answer each question. Otherwise, the words no response will appear in brackets when you submit the assignment. The questions and their original locations in the webtext are listed below in case you want to refer back to the reading as you edit, but you can edit your responses to all the questions directly in Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-4 (page 2) in the webtext before exporting to Word for submission to your instructor in the learning environment.
Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-1 (page 3):
· Question 1: In the textbox provided, brainstorm a list of keywords related to your topic.
· Question 2: Now type those keywords into an search engine, such as Google. Spend some time looking through the results. In the textbox below, jot down the titles and hyperlinks of a few of the most interesting articles and websites that come up in your search. Write down at least one article and the corresponding hyperlink for each keyword or group of keywords.
Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-1 (page 4):
· Question 3: What are you finding? What new information have you learned about this issue? What new questions or thoughts do you have now that you have done some preliminary research?
· Question 4: Can you narrow your focus at all? If so, what do you wish to focus on? If you have a few options, what are they? (You don’t necessarily need to narrow your focus. Mark found this helpful to do because his topic is very broad.)
· Question 5: Based on the broad search, refine the list of keywords that you created on the previous page. List here any keywords or keyword combinations that returned results that are relevant to your social science issue. Then, note which keywords or combinations you will no longer use, as they returned off-topic or overly broad results.
Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-2 (page 2):
· Question 6: What professional organizations (other than social science organizations) might have relevant information about your issue? For example, someone researching war might utilize information provided by the United States Department of Defense. Find one to two organizations, and note them here.
Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-2 (page 4):
· Question 7: Now select one of the digital libraries or organizations mentioned in this learning block (Shapiro Library, Google Scholar, etc.), and plug your keywords into that site. What credible sources come up in your search? Repeat this step with at least one more digital library/organization. In the textbox, type the titles of six to eight of the most relevant results along with the corresponding hyperlinks so you can locate these resources later. Note which digital library/organization you used to find each study.
· Question 8: Look for information on the websites of professional organizations that are related to your social science issue. Collect any information, links, articles, reports, or other resources that are relevant to your issue; capture this additional information in the textbox. Again, be sure to include links to your resources so you can easily locate them later.
Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-3 (page 3):
· Question 9: Begin by noting the title of the resource and including a link to it. Is this source current? Note the publication date or a date indicating when the content was last updated.
· Question 10: Is this source relevant? Note the portion of the text that you believe clearly relates to your research question. Consider whether this source provides an overview of the issue you are interested in, or whether it makes some specific important point.
· Question 11: Is this source accurate? Note whether the source has been published in a peer-reviewed journal or credible organization and the organization’s name. Note whether the source includes a list of references and citations. Give your opinion on the source’s presentation. Is it clear, organized, professional, and free of errors?
· Question 12: Is this source authoritative? Note the author’s credentials. If no author is given, note whether the publishing organization is credible, and the organization’s name again.
· Question 13: Are there any red flags that make you concerned that this source may not be scholarly? For example, are there any clearly biased passages? Are the references all very old? Are there many spelling and grammatical errors? Note any and all concerns you may have.
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Each short response should be about 2 to 3 sentences in length unless specifically noted otherwise in the instructions. Follow the instructions at the bottom of Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation, learning block 3-4 (page 2) in the webtext to download your work and submit it to your instructor as a single Microsoft Word document uploaded in the learning environment. Refer to the
Submitting Webtext Assignments Guide
for assistance on downloading, saving, and submitting this assignment.
|
Critical Elements |
Proficient (100%) |
Needs Improvement (75%) |
Not Evident (0%) |
Value |
|||||
|
Engagement and Relevance |
Written responses directly and comprehensively address short answer prompts, drawing from presented course concepts and terminology |
Written responses are topically related to short answer prompts, but responses do not consistently draw from presented course concepts and terminology |
Written responses do not address topics identified in short answer prompts |
60 |
|||||
|
Critical Thinking |
Written responses demonstrate understanding of course content through inclusion of original ideas and examples |
Written responses demonstrate understanding of course content through reiteration of provided materials but do not consistently include original ideas and examples |
Written responses do not reflect original ideas and examples |
30 |
|
Articulation of Response |
Written responses are captured in complete sentences without errors impacting legibility and the clarity of response |
Written responses are captured in incomplete sentences or include numerous errors that negatively impact legibility and the clarity of response |
No written responses are captured in complete sentences |
10 |
|
Total |
100% |
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Keywords and Search Tactics
With so many resources at your disposal, you might feel overwhelmed as you start to search for information about your chosen
topic. One of the first steps in your investigation will be to plug keywords into an Internet search engine. Keyword searching is
one of many strategies you can use to ensure that you are not wasting your time wading through resources that you cannot use
in your analysis.
Keyword Searching
This type of searching is the one that you are probably most familiar with, since it uses “natural language.” When you
enter a phrase into Google or a similar search engine, you are using natural language. Keywords are used to search
through content to find certain themes and ideas.
When searching for your topic, try out different combinations of words and phrases. Don’t worry if your initial search
yields irrelevant, too many, or too few results. Try multiple keywords, different combinations, and synonyms.
For example, if you are looking for information about minors in the justice system you may start out with keywords like:
minors, juvenile offenders, youth, crime, incarceration, underage sentencing, juvenile detention, etc.
Subject Searching
Subject searching allows you to search by categories within a database or online catalog. Subject terms are predefined
within a database. You can usually find the subjects of an article or periodical under the “info” tab.
This method of searching is useful after you have found a useful resource on your topic and find which subject search
terms are associated with that resource. Subject searching allows you to broadly search for sources on a topic. Since
subjects are assigned to articles within a specific database, results will vary from one database to another.
For example, you may have found the article, “No longer a child: juvenile incarceration in America.” by Charlyn Bohland,
published in the Capital University Law Review. From this article, you determine that “juvenile incarceration” is a
subject that could return more articles on the topic.
Boolean Searching
Boolean searching uses Boolean operators to search with more precision. The most common Boolean operators are
AND, OR, and NOT. These words help search engines broaden or narrow search results.
AND: Tells the search engine that you want to find information about two or more search terms. The search engine will
only bring back results that include both or all of your search terms. For example, you could search minors AND crime.
OR: Tells the search engine that you want information about either of the search terms you entered. Using OR will
broaden your search results because the search engine will return any results that have either (or any) of your search
terms in them. For example, you could search juvenile detention OR youth detention.
NOT: Tells the search engine that you want to find information about the search term but not the second one. This
method will narrow your search. For example, you could search youth incarceration NOT adult incarceration.
Using Boolean operators helps make connections between keywords when you are searching to yield more specific
results. This is a good method to use in conjunction with keyword searching.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
Searching Broadly
Many people find that when researching a complex issue, starting with the big picture goes a long way. Searching broadly helps
you gain an understanding of the general area of the social sciences around your issue. It can unearth valuable terminology and
professional opinions and provide a bird’s-eye-view of the topic.
When searching broadly, read what comes up. Don’t concern yourself with only finding credible, academic resources. Below we
detail a few online resources that are very helpful for performing broad background searches.
Keyword Searches
Selecting effective keywords will generate the best source results for your research paper.
Begin by stating your research topic or question. For example: The relationship between Social media and happiness.
Next identify major concepts related to the topic or question. For example: Social media and happiness, social media and
mental health, social media and anxiety.
Next, identify keywords based on concepts. For example: Social media and happiness, social media and mental health, social
media and anxiety, likes and self worth, normal social media behavior, social media and teens.
Then assess the keywords. Are they too general? In this case, no. Are they related to the topic? In this case, yes.
If you need ideas for more specific topic-related keywords, check abstracts or the end of journal articles for more ideas.
Now, test your keywords in a search. Search – Social media and happiness. What are the results?
Searching social media and happiness generated several good sources and the search engine suggested new keyword
combinations.
If your search does not generate several sources, try to find least one good source to scan for new keywords.
Use Boolean operators to manage search results as needed.
Internet Search Engines
This may seem obvious, but the first step of the research process can and should be to
simply search it on any Internet search engine. A few key terms related to your social
science issue may lead you to some interesting information. What do you find?
A search like this can answer basic background questions, such as:
“How relevant is this issue? Are people talking about the issue now in mainstream
culture, or is the conversation purely in the academic realm?”
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
Mark’s Social Media Study
Over the past year, Mark and his wife have been puzzled by their teenage daughter Julia’s online behavior.
One day, Mark overhears Julia on the phone with her friend Liz. While discussing a photo that Julia has posted on her social
media account, the two girls conclude that the photo should be deleted immediately. When she hangs up, Mark asks Julia which
photo she deleted. She shows him a shot of a pumpkin patch dotted with people on their crisp, Saturday afternoon family outing.
It’s actually quite a good photo. Mark asks her why she wants to take it down, and Julia responds sadly that it has not received
enough “likes.”
A week later, Liz and Julia are studying over snacks in the kitchen. Mark overhears the two girls speak in disgusted tones about
their classmates. One has “a perfect life” according to Julia. Liz describes another as “gorgeous,” and yet another is “so tan.”
The following Sunday, while watching the football game, Julia suggests that she and her dad take a “selfie.” Mark leans over the
couch and smiles. Julia doesn’t like that photo, so they take it again. And again. They take about eight photos before Mark finally
leans back in his chair, exasperated. An hour later, Julia flashes her screen at him to show him all the “likes” they received.
Mark’s wife is slightly concerned over all the time and attention that Julia pays to her phone. She notes to Mark, privately, the
“What are people saying about this issue?”
“What organizations or people are reporting on this issue?”
“How much information is available on the topic?”
News Organizations and Aggregators
Online periodicals are a fantastic resource for finding current events related to your social
science issue. These include more traditional news sources, such as The New York Times,
CNN, or NPR, and can also include pop culture news aggregators, such as The Huffington
Post or Vox. Often, these sites report the latest research, legislation, opinions, or
developments in straightforward language. (Go check out the Opinion section of The New
York Times to get an idea; it’s chock full of social science issues!)
While some of these news aggregators are credible, others are not. Some news
aggregators post research that has been taken out of context. Most commonly, you’ll find an
article that has a bold headline designed to catch your interest; however, when you click on
the article, the research behind the claims is not definitive or not cited. We will discuss
which sites can be considered credible in the next learning block.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a great resource to find fast information about a social science issue. You can
use this online, crowd-sourced encyclopedia to gain background information and find
important names, dates, theories, and terms that can help your understanding of the issue.
However, you cannot cite Wikipedia as a source for the information you find; you must
always trace the information back to its original source. The good news is that much of the
information found within Wikipedia has clickable citations that will take you to original
sources for further investigation — but always make sure you validate that the source
contains the information!
Blogs
You may be able to find blog articles related to your topic. Some organizations post
informative blog articles to generate brand recognition and credibility. Others attempt to
channel users to their websites. Individuals, especially professionals in the field, may post
blog articles presenting research and opinions in an effort to build their own personal brand.
Blog articles can be very helpful if they are well-researched and cited; however, they should
be assessed for reliability and credibility. We will discuss the criteria for determining
whether a resource is credible or not in the next learning block.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
apparent anxiety that Julia displays over these accounts, especially when no one “likes” her posts.
As a father, Mark is also concerned; but as a social scientist, he’s intrigued by her behavior. He’s a professor of media studies at
a state university, but his area of expertise is the history of television and radio; he’s less familiar with some of the newer social
media apps that his students and children use so frequently. His department is looking for a new research project, and Mark
believes he might have stumbled upon it.
While his wife suggests that they remove or restrict Julia’s access to her phone, Mark is hesitant to jump to conclusions until he
understands the situation better. He decides to spend some time each night researching the topic, and he considers bringing the
findings to his department chair at the end of the month.
After he and his wife discuss all the situations that have “raised the alarm” in their minds, they pinpoint a social science issue
that he will investigate further: the relationship between social media and happiness.
Mark’s Investigation
Mark has become concerned over his daughter Julia’s strange social media habits and growing anxiety. His focus is now on
investigating the relationship between social media and happiness.
He writes down a few questions that he and his wife have asked each other on the topic and then starts typing keywords into
Google.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
The results overwhelm him. Article after article appears, each summarizing scholarly findings and relating anecdotes of teen
social media users. Many of his keywords bring him to the same data.
In an effort not to “fall down the rabbit hole” of the Internet, Mark resolves to click on only the most relevant links that are
returned by his search terms. Because so many links are generated by his search, he collects only two for each set of keywords.
Exercise:
Using Keywords
Using Keywords
Mark’s keyword search produced a sizable list of resources that he could use to research the topic of social media and
happiness. He spends some time reading these in more depth.
SAMPLE KEYWORDS:
social media and happiness
Mark finds an article from The New York Times, “Facebook tinkers with users’ emotions in news feed experiment,
stirring outcry,” which references a study in which Facebook altered the news feeds of many people to show
happy or sad news posts to see if it would affect the people viewing their feeds. They found that the emotional
tone of the posts online do influence the moods of people viewing them. Mark is stunned.
social media and mental health
Mark clicks on another article entitled “10 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health,” published on the
Degreed.com blog. The article links to a number of studies that have demonstrated that social media can be
addictive, can foster a need for comparison to others, is linked to restlessness, can promote cyber-bullying, and
can glamorize drug and alcohol use, among a few others.
He also finds an article entitled “Social Media Is Harming the Mental Health of Teenagers. The State Has to Act”
on The Guardian. In addition to noting that social media use has been linked to anxiety and depression, the
article states that it may inhibit teens’ ability to get the appropriate amount of sleep. The article also references a
survey that has found that girls seek social and emotional support online rather than from their parents.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
javascript:expandit(‘man_205f’);
javascript:expandit(‘man_205a’);
http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/
social media and anxiety
This search brings Mark to a Huffington Post article entitled “The Very Real Anxiety That Comes From Texting,
‘Likes’ And FOMO,” which claims that (as stated in the title) texting, getting “likes,” and FOMO (fear of missing
out), can cause anxiety.(Click here to view a transcript of the video included in this article.) Mark notes that the
site does not reference any academic research.
Another article published on PsychCentral.com, “The Anxiety of Facebook,” reiterates that social media
networking has been linked to increased levels of anxiety and depression. Image crafting to near obsession, it
states, can take a toll on self-esteem. The article further notes that social media may increase the anxiety
associated with meeting new people in person for the first time.
Yet another article, called “FOMO Is a Real Thing, and It’s Adversely Affecting Teens on Social Media,” on
digitaltrends.com underscores the findings that frequent social media use can cause poor sleep (especially if
logging in at night), promote anxiety and depression, and lower self-esteem. The article notes increased pressure
to be logged in all the time and respond to others’ posts and comments.
likes and self worth
These search terms give Mark some interesting data. The article “The Relationship Between Social Media and
Self-Worth” on a social media blog The Social references reports of social media users that said they felt worse
after comparing themselves to others online. However, the article cites a study that shows that receiving likes is
correlated to a boost in self-esteem. Of particular interest to Mark is this quote:
“Would a social network without a feedback mechanism still be a social network?…Would such a network
fail? I have no idea. On one side, why would anyone share information with others if there’s no way for you
to know what anyone thinks? And on the other side, this network would be free of all of those “look at me
being a spoiled brat” posts, because come on, the only reason people do that is to fish for likes. Regardless,
the value of social media is so because it facilitates two-way communication between you and a larger
audience than you would otherwise not have physical access to.”
normal social media behavior
Using these keywords, Mark finds an article on Psychology Today entitled “Do Facebook and Other Social Media
Encourage Narcissism?” The author examined research showing that people who use social media the most tend
to have insecure and narcissistic personalities.
Mark finds a parenting advice website that gives guidelines for normal online behavior and recommendations for
how to curb “too much” social media use. He isn’t sure whether the site is academic or not, and Mark mentally
notes that if he uses this data he will have to chase down the author’s credentials.
social media and teens
These new search terms provide a CNN article called “Why Some 13-Year-Olds Check Social Media 100 Times a
Day,” summarizing the results from a CNN study of teens on social media. The study shows a correlation
between the amount of time spent on social media and the amount of anxiety a teen exhibited.
After reading many of the articles and websites his search uncovered, Mark notices that the way that people use social media
can influence their happiness. He re-visits his original list of questions surrounding the topic and jots down some things he
wishes to continue researching:
the patterns in posting behavior among groups of connections
the total amount of time spent on social media
the time of day that a person is on social media
the number of times that a person checks social media
the intention a person has while surfing the Internet (what they are looking for/at)
image crafting — the way a person crafts his or her “persona” online
Mark is now able to narrow his focus on this idea of how social media habits influence an individual’s mental and
emotional state.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
javascript:expandit(‘man_205b’);
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/26/social-media-anxiety-texting-fomo_n_6760166.html
javascript:doWindowOpen(‘HatchKids_Discuss_Social_Media_Anxiety_Transcript.html’,’new_frame’,’width=870,height=550,menubar=0,toolbar=0,scrollbars=1,status=0,location=0,resizable=1′,0)
javascript:expandit(‘man_205c’);
javascript:expandit(‘man_205d’);
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201306/do-facebook-and-other-social-media-encourage-narcissism
javascript:expandit(‘man_205e’);
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
Chang, L. (2015). FOMO is a real thing, and it’s adversely affecting teens on social media. Digital Trends.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/social-media-overuse-teen-anxiety/#:dWfuA203Gp1ipA
Goel, H. (2014, June 29). Facebook tinkers with users’ emotions in news feed experiment, stirring outcry. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/technology/facebook-tinkers-with-users-emotions-in-news-feed-experiment-
stirring-outcry.html
Haddad, C. (2015, October 13). Why some 13-year-olds check social media 100 times a day. CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
Maldonado, M. (2015). The anxiety of Facebook. Psych Central. http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-anxiety-of-facebook/
Probst, C. (2015). 10 ways social media affects our mental health. Degreed. http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-
affects-our-mental-health/
Soltero, A. J. (n.d.). The relationship between social media and self-worth. The Social. http://thesocialu101.com/the-relationship-
between-social-media-and-self-worth/
Trudon, T. (2017, December 6). The very real anxiety that comes from texting, “likes” and FOMO. The Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/26/social-media-anxiety-texting-fomo_n_6760166.html
Udorie, J. E. (2015). Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers. The state has to act. The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/social-media-mental-health-teenagers-government-pshe-
lessons
Williams, R. (2013). Do Facebook and other social media encourage narcissism? Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201306/do-facebook-and-other-social-media-encourage-
narcissism
3-2
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Searching for Credible Sources
Searching for Credible Sources
Many credible sources are academic sources (also known as scholarly sources). Academic sources are books, articles,
periodicals, websites, and reference materials that are written for the purpose of supporting and advancing scholarly research
rather than general interest in a topic. Academic sources address a narrow topic written by experts in the field and aim to inform
readers about the most up-to-date research and news related to the topic.
An important factor in whether a source can be considered scholarly or not is the peer review process. Usually, before a journal
prints an article submitted by an expert in the field, it will send the article to several other experts for review. In their review, the
other experts will help the original author by prompting the author to answer any questions the author initially left unanswered,
and they will question any data that seems too good to be true or contrary to generally held expert opinion. The original author
will then revise with this criticism in mind. As a result, what gets published will have been read by several experts.
Academic presses and other organizations also use the peer review process, so books from academic presses can be scholarly
as well. If you use peer-reviewed sources, you can rest assured that some of the critique-work has been done for you. However,
you still need to use your own judgment to determine the credibility of sources.
The following graphic identifies some ways that you can tell whether a work is scholarly or not:
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/social-media-overuse-teen-anxiety/#:dWfuA203Gp1ipA
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-anxiety-of-facebook/
http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/
http://thesocialu101.com/the-relationship-between-social-media-and-self-worth/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/26/social-media-anxiety-texting-fomo_n_6760166.html
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/16/social-media-mental-health-teenagers-government-pshe-lessons
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201306/do-facebook-and-other-social-media-encourage-narcissism
Locating Academic Sources
There are several digital libraries and organizations that you can use to help you locate academic sources.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
Professional organizations within the social sciences
The websites of the organizations pertaining to the social sciences contain information,
reports, resources, and guides.
The American Psychological Association
The American Sociological Association
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
http://www.apa.org/
The American Anthropological Association
The Association for Psychological Science
Social Science Research Council
Professional organizations within the social sciences
The websites of the organizations pertaining to the social sciences contain information,
reports, resources, and guides.
The American Psychological Association
The American Sociological Association
The American Anthropological Association
The Association for Psychological Science
Social Science Research Council
Professional organizations within the social sciences
The websites of the organizations pertaining to the social sciences contain information,
reports, resources, and guides.
The American Psychological Association
The American Sociological Association
The American Anthropological Association
The Association for Psychological Science
Social Science Research Council
JSTOR
JSTOR: JSTOR stands for “journal storage” and contains many academic periodicals.
JSTOR can be accessed via the Shapiro Library.
Open Society Foundations
Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations (OSF) is an international grant
making network whose website highlights current issues in education and youth,
governance and accountability, health, media and information, and rights and justice.
Professional organizations within the social sciences
The websites of the organizations pertaining to the social sciences contain information,
reports, resources, and guides.
The American Psychological Association
The American Sociological Association
The American Anthropological Association
The Association for Psychological Science
Social Science Research Council
Professional organizations within the social sciences
The websites of the organizations pertaining to the social sciences contain information,
reports, resources, and guides.
The American Psychological Association
The American Sociological Association
The American Anthropological Association
The Association for Psychological Science
Social Science Research Council
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
http://www.apa.org/
http://www.apa.org/
http://www.jstor.org
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/
http://www.apa.org/
http://www.apa.org/
Furthermore, there are many professional organizations related to your social science issue. These are too numerous to
mention. Most of the issues listed in Modules One and Two have one or more professional organizations that provide
information, resources, or research on these topics. For example, if Mark were to research regulation of the Internet, he might
come across the Federal Communications Bureau, or the FCC.
Finally, you may find some sources that are credible and may be appropriate to use in your research but that are not technically
academic, like articles you find in newspapers or trade magazines. Such credible sources will have many of the characteristics
that were introduced above — they may be produced by a reliable source, current, non-fiction, and contain information to
support claims made within the piece — however, they may not be peer reviewed or published in a scholarly journal.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Mark Continues His Search
In the previous learning block, Mark narrowed his social science topic from social media and happiness to the more specific
topic of how social media habits affect one’s mental and emotional health.
While he has already come up with an initial list of sources related to his topic, now he must target his search so that he is only
looking at credible sources.
Mark starts by typing “social media and mental health” into Google Scholar, and he is overwhelmed by the results. Those
keywords bring up over two million results! He realizes he needs to be more specific with his search terms. Since he is mostly
interested in how social media habits affect teenagers like his daughter, he types the following:
Search term: “social media and adolescence”
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau: The U.S. Census Bureau also offers information on a
diverse number of topics within the U.S., such as homelessness, income inequality, and
education, to name a few.
SNHU Shapiro Library
SNHU Shapiro Library: At the heart of your search for academic resources should be the
SNHU Shapiro Library. As a SNHU student, the library affords you access to thousands of
publications, journals, and scholarly resources. In addition, Shapiro’s services include
research assistance if you get stuck.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar: This is a free search engine that allows you to search across a wide range
of academic literature. This tool might not allow you to access the full text version of the
resource; however, you can use Google Scholar to generate titles of scholarly articles and
then use the Shapiro Library to access them.
While Google searches the entire Internet, Google Scholar searches only academic
literature.
Science Daily
Science Daily: Science Daily is a news website that features articles on a wide range of
science topics.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
http://www.census.gov
http://www.snhu.edu/student-experience/campus-experience/shapiro-library
http://scholar.google.com
https://www.sciencedaily.com/
Again, Mark is overwhelmed by the over 500,000 results that pop up. He decides to narrow his search even further.
Search term: “social media use and anxiety and depression in adolescence”
One of the results of this search is the article “Is Social Media Use Related to Sleep Quality, Self-Esteem, Anxiety and
Depression in Adolescence?” This study confirms Mark’s belief that high levels of social media use, and nighttime use,
contribute to poorer sleep quality, low self-esteem, and high levels of anxiety and depression in teens.
Mark finds a host of additional articles in Google Scholar that pique his interest, and he also plugs his search terms into the
websites for The American Psychological Association and The Association for Psychological Science. Those two sites also
provide many interesting articles on the topic.
Mark is reminded of the CNN.com article that he encountered during his preliminary Google search. He goes back over his
notes and re-reads the article “Why Some 13-Year-Olds Check Social Media 100 Times a Day.” Inside the article he also
discovers a link to an academic study titled “#Being Thirteen: Social Media and the Hidden World of Young Adolescents’ Peer
Culture.” Mark believes that this study can be considered a credible and scholarly source since its authors are academics in the
field, but he will further investigate it in the next learning block.
Both the CNN article and the related study could be credible sources that provide tons of interesting information for Mark. He
bookmarks the pages so that he can easily reference them as he continues his research.
Haddad, C. (2015). Why some 13-year-olds check social media 100 times a day. CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
Woods H., & Scott H. (2015, September 9-11). Is social media use related to sleep quality, self-esteem, anxiety and depression
in adolescence? [Conference presentation]. British Psychological Society Developmental Section and Social Section
Annual Conference, Manchester, UK.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Evaluating a Source
Now that you have at least three promising sources, it is time to take a closer look at these articles and studies to confirm that
they are truly credible sources that are appropriate for use in an academic research project. A key tenet of the social sciences is
the use of credible sources. Social scientists do not accept opinions or assertions presented to them without valid, scientific
research to back these claims. For exactly this reason, they know the importance of supporting their own research with credible
resources.
When evaluating sources, you should keep the following things in mind. You can remember these criteria with the acronym
C.R.A.A.P.O.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
https://hollyscott248.wordpress.com/publications/abstract-devsoc2015/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
https://assets umentcloud.org/documents/2448422/being-13-report
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/health/being-13-teens-social-media-study/
Currency
The information in your source should be current enough for your research.
Ask these questions:
When was this source published?
If the source is a website, does it list the date that it was last updated?
How current do your sources need to be for Project One? If you are unsure, check with your instructor.
Look for: the date of publication of a print or database source; the date last updated on a website (usually at the bottom of the
page) or the date of publication on a blog
Avoid: sources that include out-of-date information and websites that do not have a “last updated date.”
Relevancy
When scrutinizing the relevancy of a source, you should consider if it answers your question or contributes to your research.
Ask these questions:
Does the source provide a general overview of your topic or does it focus on a specific aspect of your topic?
Who is the intended audience for the source?
Does the source assume you have prior knowledge about your topic?
How many sources have you found so far? Have you searched thoroughly enough to find relevant sources?
Look for: the abstract or summary of an article, the subject and search terms associated with the source, and scan the full text
of the source
Avoid: sources that include content that is too narrow or too broad for your research
Accuracy
Correct information is necessary in any scholarly source.
Ask these questions:
Has the source been peer-reviewed?
Has the author supplied a list of references, and does that list include scholarly sources?
Is the source logical, organized, professional in appearance, and free of spelling and grammatical errors?
Look for: the author’s reference list, information about the publisher or the journal, and the full text of the source for errors and
organization
Avoid: sources that do not have a reference list, sources with grammatical errors, and sources that have not gone through an
editorial process or peer review
Authoritativeness
Consider the author’s level of expertise on the topic.
Ask these questions:
Who is the author?
What are the author’s credentials? Is he or she an expert on the topic?
Is the source published or sponsored by a reputable organization?
Look for: the author’s credentials and affiliation, other sources written by the author, and the publisher’s credentials
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
Avoid: sources from authors who have no credentials or expertise
Purpose & Objectivity
It’s alright to use sources that contain strong arguments or opinions, but it is necessary to acknowledge the author’s biases.
Ask these questions:
If the author is arguing for or against something, what point of view does he or she represent?
Does the source contain mostly factual information or is it based on opinions?
Who published this piece? Is it associated with an organization that is known for promoting a certain point of view?
Look for: the abstract, summary, or table of contents (if available), scan the full text of the source, the author’s and publisher’s
affiliations and other works
Avoid: sources that include few facts and statistics, are primarily opinion-based (though these can have a place in research), or
are from an organization known for promoting certain viewpoints, sources that are seeking to sell a product or reap some kind of
financial gain
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Mark Reflects on His Search for Sources
Mark is now convinced that this issue will make an excellent next research project for his department; however, he still needs to
formulate a specific research question that his team will attempt to answer. This will affect their study design, the length of the
study, and the budget needed to perform the research, so he needs to be specific.
While Mark and his wife discuss this over their morning cup of coffee, the conversation turns to their first observations about
Julia’s online behavior. Mark’s wife is surprised at the winding path his research has taken. A simple question (What is the
relationship between social media and happiness?) has led Mark to investigate so many other topics of concern. He has had to
consider things like the amount of time people spend on social media, the specific types of social media applications that people
use, and how teenagers specifically use social media.
Mark reflects on his own social media habits. Does his morning ritual of scrolling through his Facebook feed influence his daily
mood? The two of them discuss the discovery that some of these social media sites are able to use their personal information
for commercial purposes; Mark is bothered by this fact, while his wife is not. They wonder together, as they do every morning, if
they should be doing more to exert more parental control over their daughter’s social media use.
Mark has found that even just looking around for information on a topic can make one question his or her own behaviors and
opinions. He is excited to continue his research on this issue and learn more about himself along the way.
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Copyright © 2021 MindEdge Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.
- Module Three: Performing the Research Investigation
- Exercise: Using Keywords
- 3-2 Searching for Credible Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
3-1 Starting the Research Investigation
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Keywords and Search Tactics
Keywords and Search Tactics
Searching Broadly
Internet Search Engines
News Organizations and Aggregators
Wikipedia
Blogs
Mark’s Social Media Study
Mark’s Social Media Study
Mark’s Investigation
Mark’s Investigation
Using Keywords
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Searching for Credible Sources
Searching for Credible Sources
Locating Academic Sources
Professional organizations within the social sciences
Professional organizations within the social sciences
Professional organizations within the social sciences
JSTOR
Open Society Foundations
Professional organizations within the social sciences
Professional organizations within the social sciences
United States Census Bureau
SNHU Shapiro Library
Google Scholar
Science Daily
Exercise: Credible Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Mark Continues His Search
Mark Continues His Search
Exercise: Targeted Search
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
3-3 Vetting the Sources
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Evaluating a Source
Evaluating a Source
Currency
Relevancy
Accuracy
Authoritativeness
Purpose & Objectivity
Exercise: Academic Evaluation
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
3-4 Reflecting on the Search
This assignment does not contain any printable content.
Exercise: Reflecting on the Search
Mark Reflects on His Search for Sources
Module Three Short Responses
This assignment does not contain any printable content.