SOCI 121: Capstone (Lopez-Aguado)

Citation chaining is a research method: You use one source as a way to find related sources in a forwards or backwards process.

Think of it as a following a trail of breadcrumbs..

🗣️ What Is a Scholarly Conversation?

• Think of it like an ongoing academic group chat.

• Scholars write articles to share ideas, respond to others, build on research, or disagree with findings.

• It’s not one paper doing all the work — it’s a series of articles and studies talking to each other over time.

🔙 1. Backward Citation Chaining

(Going back in time)

• This means looking at the references or bibliography at the end of a research article.

• You’re checking out what past research the current article is built upon.

Example:

• You’re reading a 2023 sociology article on social media and identity in youth.

• In the references, the author cites a 2016 study on  materialism on social media 

• You follow that link and read the 2016 article to get a deeper understanding.

“What studies did this author read and use before writing this paper?”

🔜 2. Forward Citation Chaining.  - GOOGLE SCHOLAR 

(Going forward in time)

• This means finding newer articles that have cited the article you’re currently reading.

• You're seeing how future researchers built on this work.

Example:

• You liked that same 2021 article on social media and identity.

• Using Google Scholar, you see that it has been cited by 8 newer articles in 2023.

• You read one of those newer papers that connects social media to mental health in young adults.

 “Who read this article after it was published and built on it?”

Recap