The Statistics of the Gay and Lesbian Population
Instructor: Michele DiPietro
36-149

Research findings filter down over a period of time, taking as long as 10-12 years to appear in high school textbooks. The effective life of information varies considerably by discipline.

• Research
• Article Drafts
• Preprints
• Journal Article
• College Level Books
• College Textbooks
• High School Textbooks

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Choosing a Topic

• Your Interests

• Class Lectures

• Class Readings

• Reference Works (Hunt Reference Collection - First Floor)
  • The Gay & Lesbian Atlas (2004)
  • The Gay and Lesbian Movement: References and Resources (1996)
    
  • 1980 Census of Population
  • 1990 Census of Population
  • 2000 Summary Population and Housing Characteristics
    
    
• Databases
  • GenderWatch
  • LexisNexis Statistical
  • Policy Central
    • Use the Poll Track section for public opinion polls.
  • PsycInfo
  • PubMed

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Literature Search Preparations

• Formulate a research question
  • Are gay people richer than straight people?
    
    

• Separate the individual concepts
  

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Evaluating the Literature

• Who is the author?
  • Can the author be considered an authority?

• What is the author's affiliation?

• Which journal published the article?
  • Is the journal peer reviewed?

• When was the article published?

• Evaluate the content

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Other Questions

• Do you have a bias?

• Does the evidence you gather and cite confirm your bias?

• Are you including both supporting and contradictory evidence?

• Does your paper try to reconcile the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence?

• Are your findings true for all cultures?

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Citing Sources

• Print (Hunt Reference Desk)
  • A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (1996)
    REF-1 808.02 T92M6
    AKA: Chicago Style or Turabian

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (1999)
    REF-1 808.02 M68a5

  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001)
    REF-1 029.6 A512p5
    

• Electronic
  • Citing Digital and Print Resources
    This is part of the Virtual Reference Shelf available through the library home page.

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