A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers

by Sociology Writing Group

• ISBN13: 9781572599512
• ISBN10: 1572599510
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-15
• Publisher: Worth Publishers

Summary

Ideal for instructors and students in a wide range of sociological courses, this guide makes the case that thinking and writing are integrally related and that writing, therefore, exercises the sociological imagination. Written in a clear and conversational style, A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers examines a wide range of writing assignments for sociology courses at all levels of the curriculum. Employing a variety of writing samples as a means to illustrate effective writing, this brief and inexpensive text teaches students how to deftly research and write about sociology.

Table of Contents

To the Instructor	vii
About the Authors	xi
To the Student	xiii
PART ONE ESSENTIALS	1	(52)
Getting Started	3	(25)
What Is Sociology?	4	(7)
Framing a Question	11	(3)
Terms and Strategies in Essay and Exam Assignments	14	(3)
Developing an Argument: Logic and Structure	17	(5)
The Proposal	22	(1)
A Sample Student Proposal	23	(5)
The Writing Process	28	(10)
The Personal Vulnerability of Writing	28	(2)
Outlining	30	(1)
Revising	31	(5)
A Note about Style	36	(2)
Acknowledging Sources	38	(11)
Avoiding Plagiarism: When and What to Cite	38	(2)
Identifying Your Borrowed Words or Ideas	40	(2)
Citations in the Text	42	(1)
Format	43	(2)
Notes	45	(1)
References and Bibliographies	46	(3)
Polishing Your Paper	49	(4)
Editing	50	(1)
Formatting	51	(2)
PART TWO WRITING FROM VARIOUS DATA SOURCES	53	(126)
The Textual Analysis Paper	55	(24)
Asking Questions about the Text	55	(4)
Compare-and-Contrast Assignments	59	(1)
How to Read the Text	59	(3)
Taking Notes	62	(1)
Organizing Your Paper	63	(1)
Writing Your Textual Analysis	64	(1)
A Sample Student Paper	65	(14)
The General Research Paper Based on Library or Internet Data	79	(29)
Before You Start: Choosing a Topic	80	(1)
Setting up a Record-Keeping System	81	(1)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Print and Electronic Sources	81	(1)
Determining Your First Source(s)	82	(2)
Analyzing Print and Electronic Sources	84	(2)
Assessing Internet Information	86	(2)
Locating Internet Information: Searching Online Information with Boolean Operators and Keywords	88	(4)
Using the Library to Review the Sociological Literature	92	(1)
Using the Library to Locate Specialized Sociological References	92	(9)
Recording Information: Managing Your Photocopies and Printouts	101	(2)
Journals Often Used by Sociologists	103	(2)
Appendix: Web Sites of Use to Sociologists	105	(3)
The Ethnographic Field Research Paper	108	(32)
Goals and Methods of Ethnographic Field Research	108	(1)
Asking an Appropriate Question	109	(1)
Reviewing the Literature	110	(1)
Collecting Your Data	110	(3)
Example of Observational Field Notes	113	(5)
Example of Interview Notes	118	(1)
Organizing Your Data	119	(2)
Writing Your Paper	121	(1)
Suggested Readings	122	(1)
A Sample Student Paper	122	(18)
The Quantitative Research Paper	140	(39)
Writing the Introduction	141	(2)
Developing a Methods and Analysis Plan	143	(7)
Writing the Other Sections of Your Paper	150	(5)
Suggested Readings	155	(1)
A Sample Student Paper	155	(24)
PART THREE FINISHING UP	179	(4)
A Final Checklist for Submitting Your Paper	179	(1)
Thinking Big	180	(3)
References	183	(2)
Index	185