Sociology
Find Encyclopedias
Find Articles
Find Sociological Data Sets
Find Internet Sites
Find Sociology Course Library Research Guides
Encyclopedias
Online Sociology Encyclopedias
Search for information in the following online reference books: the Encyclopedia of Sociology, the Encyclopedia of Social Theory, and the Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics. All are great places to get some background information on concepts, theories, or people. They have essay-like entries and a valuable references section at the end of each entry which gives you related books and articles.
All of the following books are located in Dunbar Reference, on the second floor of the library.
Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology - HM 425 .J64 2000
Short, basic definitions of common sociology terms, concepts, and figures. Nice for when you come across an unfamiliar word while reading or researching.
Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods - H 62 .L456 2004, 3 volumes
Entries range from short definitions to longer essays on all types of research methods. A great book to refer to when you want to know more about particular methods and how to apply them.
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice - HV 6017 .E52 2002, 4 volumes
Very similar in format to the Encyclopedia of Sociology above. Includes a Guide to Legal Citations for the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Amnesty and pardon, careers in criminal justice, employee theft, probations and parole, and vicarious liability are just a few of the 250 entries.
Find Articles
SocINDEX
The main place to find sociology articles. Lots of full text.
PsycINFO
Psychology article database, but most sociology students find relevant articles.
Criminal Justice Abstracts
Great source for articles on criminal justice and related fields.
JSTOR
JSTOR has full text for journals going back to the 19th century and ending only 2-5 years from the present. Search just the sociology journals by following these steps:
- When you get to JSTOR's main page, click the "Search" link.
- Click on the "Advanced Search" link on the right.
- On the search page, type in your keywords and then check the boxes next to Sociology.
- Remember that it may help to also search Anthropology if you don't get enough results.
Find Sociological Data Sets
ICPSR
The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research provides access to the world's largest archive of computer-based research data for the social sciences. The data holdings cover a broad range of disciplines, including sociology, demography, gerontology, criminal justice, public health, and much more. Most data is raw and must be processed using statistical software such as SPSS or SAS.
Find Internet Sites
Social Science Information Gateway
Search or browse a large collection of authoritative sociology and related disciplines internet sites, papers, and reports on this comprehensive site by the UK Resource Discovery Network. A librarian or academic has reviewed each site listed here.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
"NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide." Search their full text or abstract collections and view court cases and statistics.
The SocioLog
Dr. Julian Dierkes from the University of British Columbia maintains this excellent site full of links to sociology-themed web sites. A Featured Link, a site search, and a list of Dr. Dierkes' favorite soc sites are a few of the options this site offers.
Find Sociology Course Library Research Guides
SOC 306: Introduction to Research Methods
SOC 360: Sociology of the Family
