The Sociology Place

The bare bones of academic research is: Find and read academic articles, and organize the massive amounts of research materials you will collect and produce. This post is a how-to guide for social science students to manage academic research.

How to find academic articles

It all comes down to the right key words. Each discipline and field has their own key words for research. For example, “acting politically” is understood by political sociologists as “political participation,” or “democratic engagement.” The term “activist organizations” is understood as “social movement organizations,” with the acronym SMO. In order to find the right article, you have to find the key word that academics use.

To find the right key word, first do a general search. General search engines like Google or DuckDuckGo are great places to start. As you find some links to academic literature, you will discover some key words. Take those key words and put them in the search engines that scholars use: Google Scholar, Elicit, Consensus and the like provide academic-targeted results.

Once you find the papers, look to their references section. Articles published in good journals often cite other valuable works.

There are other places to find the right article. Social media, especially academic Bluesky or Facebook, can lead you to current discussions and posts by authors on the latest research. In the offline world, go to conferences and workshops, and engage in conversations there to hear about new and classic works in the field.

How to choose a relevant academic article

There are over 30,000 academic journals, and there are likely thousands in the social sciences, and there are dozens in your specific field. They can’t all be gems. Since not every source you find is worth your time, you need to evaluate each source carefully.

Check the credibility of authors, journals, and publishers. Peer-reviewed articles from well-known publishers usually ensure higher quality. Stay away from predatory journals. There are lesser known journals that can be valuable. Ultimately, you need to read the article to understand its value.

Don’t be swayed by “big name” academics, many of whom will publish a mix of lesser works with major works. We’ve all been disappointed by a “big name” and “big university” academic’s arrogant, crappy, and useless article or book. You know who you are.

Consider objectivity—does the article rely on facts or express opinions? Be wary of biased perspectives. Are they trying to sell you something, or simply tell you about something? Do they have a conflict of interest?

Check publication dates, too. Be sure to read a mix of current and classic articles.

Look for clarity and professionalism. Good articles are organized logically, clearly written, and free from significant errors. Poor presentation may indicate questionable quality.

Read efficiently

There are millions of books and billions of words. There are thousands of articles related to your field, and hundreds of those to potentially consider. Again: They can’t all be gems.

First, assess the article’s usefulness. Don’t feel obligated to read an article from start to finish until you know its worthwhile for you. Begin with the title and abstract. Quickly scan the introduction for the research question and its contribution. Review the data and methods section carefully—if the methods section is weak, then the conclusion is useless. A strong abstract will summarize key findings.

Hopefully, the article is written with point-first paragraphs. Good academic writing uses point-first paragraphs. If the title and abstract look OK, then skim the article by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This will take a minute or two. Then, read the methods section carefully. If the methods section seems legitimate and relevant to your research, then begin to read the article in-depth.

Articles are not murder mysteries! You can know the ending at the start, and you can jump around the article for relevant parts as you see fit. If the article is truly worthwhile, then read every word.

Take notes as you read! Don’t rely on your memory. Given the hundreds of articles to sort through, and the dozens and dozens that are relevant, unless you have eidetic or photographic memory, you will not be able to retain information well.

How to organize your academic research

Once you’ve selected useful sources, staying organized is crucial. Divide your project into clear categories:

• Literature (articles, books, websites)
• Writing (notes, drafts)
• Data (datasets, analysis)
• Scientific Communication (emails, supervisor comments)
• Bureaucracy (official university documents and forms)

If you have a grant, add:

• Budget (proposal budgets, Excel tracking sheets)
• Administration (grant proposals, funder correspondence, contracts)

Organization of all this information is essential for successful research. Keep your digital files clearly titled with descriptive names and dates. Track versions carefully—there will be many revisions.

For paper documents such as notes, keep them neatly organized in named folders. Convert your materials into searchable formats like Google Drive to save significant time. Clearly name your folders to avoid confusion.

Citations accumulate quickly, so start using Zotero or its like early to manage references efficiently. If you think it useful (I don’t, but others do), use “second brain” AI tools like Notion or Rewind to collect and search for information. I find that Google Drive does just fine. But, I also organize my references like its the 1990s. So, do what’s best for you.

Finally, always back up your data. Schedule a weekly backup to a flash drive or the cloud—ideally both—to protect your hard work. You never know when you might lose all your data. Be prepared!