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ENGL 1050 Library Lab

What is it?

The goal of finding community voices about your equity issue is to hear from those directly affected in their own words. While there may be interviews available that are published through various news sources, those are often edited. Statements posted by the individuals themselves on their own websites, blogs, or social media pages are the preferred format for hearing from this voice type.

If you already know the names of public figures involved with your equity issue, look at their website and social media pages. If you are looking for other community voices, you can search social media sites. Pay attention to how the community is making their presence known. Is there a specific hashtag, subreddit, Facebook group, or alternative social media platform where the community gathers online?

Finding Tips

Not all websites will have a search bar, and even if it does, it might not work very well. To use Google's search systems to search a website, type site: before the website link and then add your search terms. The website link can be narrowed down from a whole website to a specific page, like a subreddit (site:reddit.com/r/AMA/), and hashtags can be used as keywords.

Screen Reader Version

Screen reader version: site colon reddit period com space steelworker space quotation mark steel industry quotation mark space quotation mark I am a quotation mark. Do not leave a space between site, colon, and the website address.

Community Voices: Evaluation Prompts

Because the goal of finding community voices on your topic is to hear from those directly affected by your equity issue, the main evaluation question to ask of these sources is: Does the person have the identity or experience to be considered a community member?

  • Confirm with Other Sources: Is there proof that someone has the experience they claim to have? If someone claims to be a published author, their book should be advertised on a publisher's website.
  • Self-Identifying: Some identities and experiences cannot be verified through outside sources. For example, the discussion around self-diagnosis of autism. Many people who identify as autistic lack a formal diagnosis due to high costs and limited access to experienced clinicians. They may also avoid a formal diagnosis, fearing it will lead to discrimination. Does the community you are studying rely on self-identification?
  • Anonymity: Some community members may only feel comfortable sharing their experiences anonymously. You can try to confirm their membership in a community by checking their posting history to see if they consistently identify as being a member of that community.

*Note: When finding community voices for your equity issue, keep in mind that everyone has a unique identity and experience. Use each community member's voice as a case study or example of how an equity issue can play out in real life to support your argument.

Citation Example

MLA

DangerousRoutine1678. Redditors Who Work in the US Steel Market. Now That New Steel Tariffs Got Announced This Morning, What's Going on and What Are the Emotions in the Steel Industry as of Now? Reddit, 11 Mar. 2025, www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1j8sr7w/redditors_who_work_in_the_us_steel_market_now/.

spilledcoffee00. Steel Production Over Time. Reddit, 25 Nov. 2024, www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/1gzl072/steel_production_over_time/.

APA

DangerousRoutine1678. (2025, March 11). Redditors who work in the US steel market. Now that new steel tariffs got announced this morning, what's going on and what are the emotions in the steel industry as of now? [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1j8sr7w/redditors_who_work_in_the_us_steel_market_now/

spilledcoffee00. (2024, November 25). Steel Production Over Time [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/comments/1gzl072/steel_production_over_time/