A topic that is interesting to you may well be too broad to use as a research question. Background readings can clarify how scholars in a particular subject area have discussed your topic and help you to identify a focus within your topic of interest. Background information can be found in your textbook or class readings, academic books in the library's collection, or reference sources (a few of which are linked below).
For this class, consider how virtual technologies have challenged experiences of language, gender, sex, race, ethnicity, and location. How are gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and location expressed or erased?
Reference books, such as those linked below, provide background / overview information about a topic from the perspective of a particular subject discipline. Articles in these encyclopedias often include references to additional scholarship on the topic, jump starting your search for additional sources.
Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology by 
Encyclopedia of Gender in Media by 
Encyclopedia of Cyber Behavior by 
International encyclopedia of digital communication and society by 
The Social Media Handbook by This search strategy unique to NUSearch may help you find reference sources to refine your topic.
Searching with Subject Headings can improve results found by initial keywords searches in NUSearch and other subject databases. Subject Headings work like hastags bringing together information on the same topic which may be described by the authors/creators using a variety of terms.
When you find an item of interest to you, look to see what subject terms have been assigned to describe it. If you click on the linked subject term (or type it into the search box) additional items relevant to that topic will be returned. Or combine that subject term with other search terms to refine search results.
| Suggested Subject Headings, some with sub-headings (not a complete list!!) | Annotated NUSearch record for Lisa Nakamura's book Digitizing race: visual cultures of the Internet (2008). |
| Ambient intelligence Artificial Intelligence Automatic machinery -- Philosophy Computers and civilization Computer networks -- Social aspects Cybernetics -- Social aspects Digital media -- Social aspects Embedded Internet devices Information technology -- Social aspects Internet and culture Internet and race Internet of things Internet of things -- Social aspects Mobile computing Online social networks -- Political aspects Online social networks -- Sociological aspects Social Media Technological innovations -- Social aspects Technology and the arts Ubiquitous computing -- Philosophy Ubiquitous computing -- Psychological aspects Ubiquitous computing -- Social aspects |
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