Sociology

This is a general research guide for the undergraduate and graduate courses in OSU's Sociology program. You'll find suggestions for locating books, articles, topical overviews, research tools, and factual information. For further assistance, please contact the subject librarian for Sociology.

Subject Librarian for Sociology:

Valery King

phone 737-7318

email valery.king@oregonstate.edu

	Quicklinks
		Academic Search Primer | Sociological Abstracts | PsycInfo | ILL Forms

	Table of Contents
	Finding Books in Online Catalogs		Other Useful Internet Sites
	Finding Articles in Journals	Other Useful Subject Research Guides
	Reference Sources

Dictionaries & thesauri
Encyclopedias
Handbooks & directories
Biographical information
Bibliographies
Yearbooks & literature reviews
Statistics
Opinion polls

 

Finding Books in Online Catalogs

OSU Libraries Online Catalog
All formats of materials owned by OSU libraries are cataloged in this database, including books, government documents, journals to which the library subscribes*, and videos. You can search the database from any computer with Internet access.

* Library online catalogs do NOT give you access to the individual articles within the journals the library subscribes to. See Finding articles...

Summit (Orbis)
You may also want to search the collective Summit catalog which combines most academic library catalogs in Oregon and Washington. Materials in Summit are available to OSU students, faculty & staff within 3 working days if they aren't checked out. You can extend your search from OSU Libraries Online Catalog to Summit with the click of a button.

Searching: Online catalogs can be searched by author, title, subject, etc. The most effective subject searching utilizes the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The complete list of subject headings is located at the reference desk; ask if you need help. Notice that each record in the online catalog will indicate the subject headings assigned to that item, and these are usually hot links to other materials on similar topics. Some examples of subject headings for sociology are:

Examples of Subject Headings:

sociology	pornography--social aspects
deviant behavior	racism--united states
social conflict	sociology, urban
sociology--methodology	environmental psychology
sociology--history	suicide--sociological aspects

Locating by call number: Like most academic libraries, we use the Library of Congress Classification system to organize and arrange materials in the library. Many sociology materials fall into the "H" call number range and are located on the 5th floor of The Valley Library.

WorldCat: If you don't find enough material in local and regional libraries, you can search for books in WorldCat which is a collective catalog from hundreds of libraries, containing over 60 million records. You can submit interlibrary loan requests directly from this database by clicking on the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) link in the record.

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Finding Articles in Journals

Journal indexes: To find individual articles in journals, you will typically use periodical indexes/databases which can either be in printed form or online (electronic) form. Most such indexes allow you to search by author or title of the article as well as subject or topic. Many online indexes also allow you to search the article citation and abstract with a keyword or free text search.

Locating journals: Some databases provide links to the full-text of journal articles. For others, you will need to locate the print copy of the journal to read the article. You can search the OSU Libraries catalog for the Journal Title (name of the journal) to determine if we own the journal. If we do not subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal, you can get copies of journal articles through our Interlibrary Loan service at: http://osulibrary.orst.edu/ill/

Off-campus access:
If you are searching from a computer on campus, you will automatically be recognized as an authorized user at OSU. Off-campus access to online journals and databases is restricted to OSU faculty, staff, and enrolled students. To access these items from off-campus computers, use an OSU Libraries research tool.
More information about off-campus access.

Basic searching

• Academic Search Primer
  This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for nearly 4,500 journals, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed titles. searchable cited references are provided for 1,000 titles. Academic Search Premier is updated on a daily basis. This is a good starting place to do a basic search on educational topics. Because of its multidisciplinary nature, it will pick up items about education topics covered in other subject journals such as business, psychology or the popular press. Abstracts, index and selected full-text: 1975 - present

Subject-specific searching (Sociology)

• Sociological Abstracts
  This database provides indexing of articles in social work, social science, and sociological journals as well as papers presented at conferences. Coverage is 1952- present. You will need to locate the journal or conference proceeding in the OSU Libraries catalog, or we can request the item from another library through Inter-Library Loan.

Comprehensive searching

• Social Science Citation Index (from ISI Web of Science)
  This database provides indexing and abstracting in the social sciences. It is especially useful in tracing a line of research through citations of a particular article.
• Web availability: 1999 - present
• Electronic (CD) availability (not available from off-campus): 1997-1998
• Print availability: 1953-1996. Ref H1 .S61

Note: for additional electronic databases, access is provided at the library's Research Databases page http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research.php/subject.php?sname=15

Electronic journals

• This is a link to an alphabetic list of journals published online: http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/
  These must be searched one journal title at a time, so this is not a very efficient way to search. Unless you are interested in searching one specific electronic journal, it is recommended that you use a periodical index/database to do your searching. One advantage of electronic journals is that they are available full-text online. This list is subject to change.

• Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Housing & Urban Planning
  • Matrimony
  • Civil Rights
  • Population Studies
    • Abstracting, Bibliographies, Statistics
  • Social Science: Comprehensive Works
  • Social Services & Welfare
  • Sociology
    • Computer Applications
  • Statistics

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Reference Sources

Dictionaries & thesauri

RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY

• The Contemporary Thesaurus of Search Terms and Synonyms: a Guide for Natural Language Computer Searching
  Valley Reference Desk ZA 4060 .K58 2000
• Thesaurus of Sociological Indexing Terms
  Valley Reference Z 695.1 .S6T44 1986
• A Critical Dictionary of Sociology
  Valley Reference HM 17 .B6813 1989
• A Dictionary of Sociology
  Valley Reference HM 17 .C66 1998
• The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: a User's Guide to Sociological Language
  Valley Reference HM 17 .J64 1995

ONLINE RESOURCES

• A Dictionary of Sociology (OUP, 2005)
• Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences (Athabasca University)
• Sociology Glossary (WebRef)

Encyclopedias

RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY

• International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. 10 vols.
  Valley Reference H 41 .I58 2001
• Encyclopedia of Sociology. 5 vols.
  Valley Reference HM 425 .E5 2000
• The Social Science Encyclopedia
  Valley Reference H 41 .S631 1996
• Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. 2 vols.
  Valley Reference E 184 .A1G14 1995

ONLINE RESOURCES

• Sociology Basics (netLibrary eBook)

Handbooks & directories

RESOURCES IN THE LIBRARY

• Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology
  Valley Reference LB 2371 .G8
• Key Quotations in Sociology
  Valley HM 17 .T56 1996
• Handbook of Social Psychology
  Valley HM 1033.H36 2006
• The International Handbook of Environmental Sociology
  Valley GE 195 .I57 1997
• Handbook of Qualitative Research
  Valley H 62 .H2455 2000
• ASA Style Guide
  Valley Reference HM 586 .A541 1997
• A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers
  Valley HM 73 .G78 1994

ONLINE RESOURCES

• Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social Research
  (The International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication)

Biographical information

• The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology - See the "Biographical Appendix"
  Valley Reference HM 17 .J64 1995
• Profiles in Contemporary Social Theory
  Valley Reference H 61 .P741 2001
• Biographies of Sociologists (web site)
• Famous Sociologists (part of SocioSite web site)

Bibliographies

• International Bibliography of Sociology (annual 1955-1995)
  Valley Z 7161 .I6
• Sociology: a Guide to Reference and Information Sources
  Valley Reference HM 51 .A391 1997
• Finding the Source in Sociology and Anthropology
  Valley Reference HM 51 .B71 1987

Yearbooks and literature reviews

• Annual Review of Sociology. Print, 1975- present: HM1.A663
  Electronic, 1975- present (see OSU Libraries catalog for access)

Statistics

• Statistical Yearbook (UNESCO) - REF HA40.C8 U4
• Statistical Abstract of the United States. (current issue at Reference Desk) - HA202
           Earlier editions circulate for one day.
           Online at: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-1995_2000.html
• Major U.S. Statistical Series - REF HA37.U55 S77 1992
• LexisNexis Statistical - OSU subscription databasehttp://osulibrary.orst.edu/research.php/db.php?arg=L
• Labor Statistics Database from ILO - http://laborsta.ilo.org
• FedStats - links to over 100 federal agencies with statistics http://www.fedstats.gov/
• BLS - Statistical Sites - on the www http://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htm
• Population Profile of the U.S. - http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/profile2000.html
• Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
• America's Children in Brief http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/ The issues and indicators include demographics; childcare; family, health, and educational experiences; children's behavior; and the child's social environment
• Child Trends DataBank - http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/ Latest national trends and research on over 70 key indicators of child and youth well-being, with new indicators added each month. You can sign up for e-mail updates.

 

Opinion polls

• An American Profile: Opinions and Behavior, 1972-1989 - HN90.P8 A53 1990
• The Gallup Poll Cumulative Index: Public Opinion, 1935-1997 - REF HN90.P8 G29 1999
• The Gallup Poll (Tuesday) Briefing 1989 - present HM261.G34 (formerly The Gallup Poll Monthly). Electronic 2002- present (Business Source Premier)

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Other Useful Internet Sites

General/Megasites

• Social Sciences Virtual Library http://www.dialogical.net/socialsciences/index.html
• Intute: Social Sciences http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/
  A high level search site for social sciences information.
• SocioSite http://www.sociosite.net
  Megasite of links from the University of Amsterdam.
• SocioWeb http://www.socioweb.com/~markbl/socioweb/
  An independently compiled page with a categorized collection of sociology related sites such as "Giants of Sociology", sociology associations and university depts., surveys and statistics. Has a search function.
• Yahoo: Sociology http://www.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Sociology/
  A commercial, but useful, collection of web sites.
• SocioLog page http://www.sociolog.com
  Good collection of links created by a graduate student at Princeton.
• Understanding the World Today http://gsociology.icaap.org
  Links to sites that can help explain historical changes, growth and development.
• Social Psychology Network http://www.socialpsychology.org/
  A collection of links to articles on Communication, Theorists, Attitudes and Behavior, etc.

Data Sites

• American Ethnic Geography http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo200/HomePage.html
  Includes a map gallery of population data for numerous ethnic groups in the United States

• Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science: CSISS

  http://www.csiss.org
  According to Choice Reviews, this site is "absolutely indispensable for anyone who uses GIS as a part of social science research."

• Childstats http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/

  Key national indicators of well-being including education, health and economic security.

• Data on the Net http://3stages.org/idata/ Per the website, " listing of 363 Internet sites of numeric Social Science statistical data, data catalogs, data libraries, social science gateways, addresses and more ."
• Statistical Resources on the Web - Sociology (University of Michigan) http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stsoc.html
  This site lists resources in subjects pertaining to sociological research.
• United Nations population information network (POPIN) http://www.un.org/popin/
  This site "stives to make international, regional and national population information easily available".
• Internet Crossroads in the Social Sciences http://dpls.dacc.wisc.edu/newcrossroads/index.asp
  A clearing house of links to Internet sources of information and data sets.

Policy Studies

• Social Policy http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/index.htm
  Provides an annotated set of links to Social Policy web sites.
• Institute for Policy Research http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/
  This site created for Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research is intuitively designed, broad and rich in its coverage (according to Choice Reviews)

Social Movements

• Free Speech Movement http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/FSM/
  Archival collection of primary materials on one of the major student movements of the 60's.
• Women & Social Movements in the U.S., 1600 - 2000 http://womhist.binghamton.edu/
  Over 1700 primary source documents.

Surveys

• Odum Institute: Public Opinion Poll Database http://152.2.32.107/odum/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=7 Repository for the Louis Harris polls from 1958 to present. Includes Roper Center's International Survey Library Assoc., data from the Inter-University Consortium for Political Science Research and from the National Network of State Polls. Availability of data for download varies.
• Roper Center http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu
  Provides access to more than 10,000 survey files. Data drawn from 100 countries over 60 years.
• World Employment Report 2001 http://www.ilo.org/public/english/support/publ/wer/index2.htm
  From the International Labour Organization. This site provides an overview of global employment trends and related statistics.

Timelines

• Sociology Timeline from 1600 http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/timeline.html
  Significant events from 1600-1990's with multiple links to information about people, texts and movements.

Tutorial

• Internet Sociologist http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/sociologist/
  A "teach yourself" tutorial on Internet information and skills for sociologists.

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Other Useful Subject Research Guides

• Human Development and Family Studies
  http://osulibrary.orst.edu/research/srg/hdfs.htm
• Psychology
  http://osulibrary.orst.edu/research/srg/psy.htm
• Peace Studies
  http://osulibrary.orst.edu/research/srg/peace.htm
• Political Science
  http://osulibrary.orst.edu/research/srg/polsci.htm
• Environmental Health
  http://osulibrary.orst.edu/research/srg/health.htm

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Return to the Alphabetical or Subject index of the Subject Research Guides.

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