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Psychology: PSCH 231

Library resources for Psychology

Researching Social Issues: Making a Plan

This page provides links to resources for multiple approaches to researching a social issue and potential solutions, with the goal of guiding you towards resources and strategies for gathering multiple points of view.  In determining what type of information to integrate into your research, consider the following questions related to stakeholders and information sources:

Who are the EXPERTS on this issue?

  • in the academic sense of the word
  • in terms of directly experiencing the issue (this could include you and other communities, groups or individuals)
  • in terms of working to come up with solutions (this could include individuals or organizations)

Where can you access the VOICES of these experts?

  • through scholarship (e.g. books, scholarly articles)
  • journalism (e.g. magazines, newspapers)
  • websites (e.g. organizations, individuals, institutional, governmental)
  • multimedia (e.g. YouTube interviews, Podcasts)
  • social media
  • interviews

Identifying useful resources is context specific. In small groups, briefly share the issues you're planning to explore. Choose one issue from the group and make a research plan outlining what types of resources might be most useful for gaining multiple perspectives for understanding the issue and possible solutions. Record your responses on the Google Doc.

Academic Articles

Newspapers & Magazines

In addition to these databases, you may want to identify and search local news sources such as Chicago Reader or Block Club Chicago, or WTTW.com. You can also try a Google Search using the News filter.

Share Your Social Issue

Please share the social issue you're planning to write about to the Jamboard.

Using Books and Book Chapters

Books and book chapters are an excellent source for getting a broad overview on a topic and understanding the historical context of an issue. Explore the UIC Library's collection of print and electronic books using the Library Search on the UIC Library homepage (try narrowing by Resource Type to books).