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SOC 388: Sociology of the Family in America (Elizabeth Dingler)

This guide offers resources and tools to assist you with your Sociology of the Family in America course.

Strategies for reading

Don’t be afraid to jump around: Scholarly articles don't have to be read like a book, paragraph by paragraph, line by line. It's ok to skim and scan! 

Read the abstract first: Previews the entire article, makes it easier to judge whether it is relevant.

Next, read the introduction and conclusion: Learn more about the topic of study and what the authors found out in the process.

Take a look at the tables, charts and graphs: Get a better idea of the results of the research or analytical study. 

Mark it up: Engage with your source! Take notes, highlight important sections. Look for what is missing as well as what is there. 

Find the source: Consult the introduction and references for other potential sources to follow up on. 

Citation Software Tools

Zotero is a citation and research management software. It allows you to save all of the articles you have found and will create a bibliography for you.