Welcome

The Web Use Project is Eszter Hargittai's research group at Northwestern University. The goal of the research conducted in this group is to learn about how people use the Web in their everyday lives and in particular, how differences in Internet use may contribute to social inequality.

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"Research Confidential," edited by Eszter Hargittai
This collection of essays aims to fill a notable gap in the existing literature on research methods in the social sciences. While the methods literature is extensive, rarely do authors discuss the practical issues and challenges they routinely confront in the course of their research projects. As a result, editor Eszter Hargittai argues, each new cohort is forced to reinvent the wheel, making mistakes that previous generations have already confronted and resolved. Research Confidential seeks to address this failing by supplying new researchers with the kind of detailed practical information that can make or break a given project. Written in an informal, accessible, and engaging manner by a group of prominent young scholars, many of whom are involved in groundbreaking research in online contexts, this collection promises to be a valuable tool for graduate students and educators across the social sciences.

To find more information and where to order, visit http://www.rconfidential.com.

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Recent Publications

Hargittai, E. (2009). Research Confidential: Solutions to Problems Most Social Scientists Pretend They Never Have. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Hargittai, E. (2009). Introduction: Doing Empirical Social Science Research. In Research Confidential. Edited by E. Hargittai. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. 1-7.

Hargittai, E. & Karr, C. (2009). WAT R U DOIN? Studying the Thumb Generation Using Text Messaging. In Research Confidential. Edited by E. Hargittai. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. 192-216.

Tepper, Steven & Hargittai, E. (2009). Pathways to Music Exploration in a Digital Age. Poetics. 37(3):227-249.

Pasek, J, more, e., & Hargittai, E. (2009). Facebook and Academic Performance: Reconciling a Media Sensation with Data. First Monday. 14(5)

Zillien, N. & Hargittai, E. (2009). Digital Distinction: Status-Specific Internet Uses. Social Science Quarterly. 90(2): 274-291.

Hargittai, E. (2009). An Update on Survey Measures of Web-Oriented Digital Literacy. Social Science Computer Review. 27(1):130-137.

Hargittai, E. (2008). The Role of Expertise in Navigating Links of Influence. In The Hyperlinked Society. Edited by Joseph Turow and Lokman Tsui. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press. 85-103.

Hargittai, E. & Hinnant, A. (2008). Digital Inequality: Differences in Young Adults’ Use of the Internet. Communication Research. 35(5):602-621.

Hargittai, E. & G. Walejko. (2008). The Participation Divide: Content Creation and Sharing in the Digital Age. Information, Communication and Society.11(2): 239-256.

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