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Sociology Research Guide

This research guide provides a list of resources and strategies to help you do research for suitable materials for sociology. The resources covered in this guide will include some that are available through the ELAC Library, and others that are available freely on the Internet. This is only a starting point; for more detailed information come to the library and ask for a consultation at the Reference Desk.

Your research strategy might include some or all of the following:

Use reference sources to find an overview of your topic, or to find general background information on your topic
Use the library\'s online catalog to find books on your topic
Use the library\'s licensed databases to find journal, magazine, newspaper, and other types of articles on your topic
Use the Internet to find credible web sources on your topic

How do I find an overview or general background information about my topic?

Reference sources are a great place to start a research project. You can use reference sources to find definitions of terms that might be unfamiliar to you. You can also find topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading on your topic. Listed below are a few of these sources available through the ELAC Library:

The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: A User\'s Guide to Sociological Language

(e-Book)

Encyclopedia of American Social History

Reference Collection (REF 917.303 Enc 1993 v. 1-3)

Encyclopedia of Sociology

(e-Book)

Also in the Reference Collection (REF 301.03 Enc 2000 v. 1-5)

International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Reference Collection (REF 300.3 Int 2001 v. 1-26)

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences

Reference Collection (REF 303.3 Int)

World of Sociology

Reference Collection (REF 301.03 Wor 2001 v. 1-2)

For finding statistics, try some of the following sources:

County and City Extra

(e-Book)

Statistical Abstract of the United States

Reference Collection (REF 317 Uni 2006)

Vital Statistics of the United States

(e-Book)

How do I find books about my topic?

The general call number for books on sociology is HM, though you might find materials in other locations as well. This is good to know if you want to go straight to the book shelves and look around to see what\'s available. However, if you want to locate specific books, or books on specific topics try using the library\'s online catalog. From the ELAC Library\'s web site, click the "Our Library Catalog" link to look for books on your topic. You can try typing your search words in the text box and clicking the "Words or Phrase" button (this is called a keyword search). Sometimes this method will bring back too many results, some of which might be irrelevant. In that case, try doing a "Subject" search. You can do a Subject search by typing your terms in the text box and clicking the "Subject" button. If you don\'t get any results, try using some of the examples of the Library of Congress Subject Headings listed below:

Crime Sociological aspects
Death Social aspects
Educational sociology
Household surveys
Information society
Knowledge, Sociology of
Religion and sociology
Social ethics
Social problems
Socialization
Sociology, Urban
Spatial analysis (Statistics)
Urban policy

If you\'re still finding too much materials, try doing a "Power Search." Type in one of the above terms in the "Subject" box, then type another term that you might be interested in into the "Words or Phrase" box.

How do I find journal, magazine, newspaper, and other types of articles on my topic?

You can find full-text articles and biographical information by using these electronic databases (you can get to these databases through the ELAC Library\'s web site):

Gale Virtual Reference--for information about a person or a topic
LexisNexis Academic--full-text news, business, legal, medical, and reference information (LexisNexis is not available remotely)
ProQuest--for articles from scholarly journals as well as popular magazines and newspapers

Θ Important note: You will need a special username and password in order to access these databases remotely. Please come to the reference desk at the library to pick up the necessary access codes.

How do I find credible web sources on my topic?

In this section, "web pages" means the "free web"--web sites anyone can access--not web-based research tools like the databases that the library provides. The free web has a lot of great things to offer, but not all the sources found there are appropriate for academic research. How can you determine if the sources you\'ve found are credible? Ask yourself the following questions:

Who created the site?
Can you determine if the author is an expert in the field?
What kind of an audience was the site created for? General adult population? Scientists? 3rd graders?
Can you determine if there is any kind of bias expressed in the site? Is the site trying to sell you a particular point of view?
When was the web page last revised?
What is the date range of the materials covered in the site?
What other resources (print & non-print) are available in this area?
What is the relative value of the web site in comparison to the range of information resources available on this topic?

You can try looking for relevant web sites on your own using subject directories like InfoMine, Open Directory Project, and the Librarian\'s Internet Index. As well, you can try some of the web sites listed below:

American Sociological Association

The Internet site of the major U.S. association of professional sociologists provides a number of useful links, including a page, "What is Sociology?," and the profession\'s code of ethics.

URL: http://www.asanet.org/index.ww

Academic Info: Sociology

Users will find a compendium of links to data archives, discussion groups, and educational facilities. Includes basic online reference materials.

URL: http://www.academicinfo.net/soc.html

Social Science Information Gateway: Sociology

Provides access to hundreds of sociology sources on the Internet. Each source has been evaluated and categorized both by type (e.g., articles, databases, discussion groups) and by sub-field within sociology (e.g., sociology of adolescence, sociology of children, sociology of economics, sociology of education).

URL: http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/sociology/

WWW Virtual Library: Sociology

Includes links to organizations, journals, research centers, and academic departments.

URL: http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/w3virtsoclib/

How do I get more help finding sources for my topic?

If you feel like you need help getting started, finding more detailed materials, or if you have any questions in general, please feel free to come to the library and ask a reference librarian for help.

Billy Pashaie: 10/27/06

� Helen Miller Bailey Library

East Los Angeles College