SOC 341 - The University Libraries

SOC 341 - Sociological Perspectives

Library Spaces: Information about places in the library for individuals or groups to study or prepare for presentations

Encyclopedias (selected)

These specialized books provide background information on your topic or help you with definitions.

The Reference Department of has several of these in sociology (HM call number), anthropology (GN), psychology (BF), education (L), etc.

Bibliographies at the end of each article refer you to other useful sources.

Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history, editor-in-chief Colin A. Palmer.
Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006

Also in print. Location: Ref E185 .E54

Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations

Detroit: Gale, 2007

Also in print. Location: Ref G63 .W67

Encyclopedia of Latin American history and culture, Barbara A. Tenenbaum,
editor in chief. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1996

Ref E185 .E54

Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Timothy J. O'Leary and David Levinson,
ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1991-1996

Ref GN 550 .E53

Countries and Their Cultures

Melvin and Carol Ember, ed.

Also in print. Location: Ref GN307 .C68

Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology, David Levinson, Melvin Ember, ed.

New York : Henry Holt and Co., 1996

Ref GN 307 .E52

St. James encyclopedia of popular culture, Tom Pendergast, Sara
Pendergast, ed; with an introduction by Jim Cullen.

Detroit: St. James Press, 2000

Also in print. Location: Ref E169.1 .S764

Ref BL80.2 .L463
Religion : a cross-cultural encyclopedia, David Levinson. Santa Barbara,
Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1996

Ref HC 59.7 .K87
Encyclopedia of the Third World. George Thomas Kurian, ed. New York:
Facts on File, 1992

Subject Databases to Locate Magazine and Journal Articles

Databases are subject guides to magazines, journals, newspapers, and other materials.

For more choices than those listed below, go to The University Libraries home page, click on Databases, then on the starting letter of the database or department name.

REMEMBER: To get to the full text of the journal article you must go through the Library's web pages. We have paid for access to the journals. You cannot go to the publisher's page to get an article. Use Journal Finder if you have the name of the journal.

SocIndex with Full Text (SIFT) (EBSCO)

Looking for the full text of the article? Go to Journal Finder and enter the name of the journal.

Database Search Tips

Use the most specific terms you can think of in your search strategy. Use synonyms for the same concept.
e.g. adolescents, adolescence, teenagers, youth. If that doesn't work try moving to gradually broader terms

Broad subject headings work well for books e.g. Africa, health, children, population, social conditions
Narrow subject headings may work better for journal articles because they tend to focus on a specific issue e.g. Ethiopia rather than Africa; AIDS or diet or food supply rather than health; adolescents instead of children; birth control or ethnic relations instead of population
Try terms such as developing countries or third world to focus on problems in those regions.
Remember that most scholarly books and journal articles have a bibliography at the end of the book, chapter, or article. These bibliographies are an easy way of identifying other good sources, especially journal articles, that are relevant to your topic.
When searching your topic try a variety of subject headings for the same concept e.g. social classes, social status, caste
Note the names of authors writing extensively on your subject, then use the databases to look for journal articles they may have written.
Click here for tips on using the search connectors AND, OR, and NOT in your search strategy.
What are scholarly journals and how do I find them?

APA Citation Examples

Text of an article from a print or microfilm journal:

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates. Journal of

Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.

Text of an electronic journal article retrieved via a DOI number:

Smith, W.C. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 443-449.

doi:10.1037/002-9432.76.4.482

Text of an article from a publisher or organization website:

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates. Journal

of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved from http://www.envplan.com/epa/fulltext/a40/a38255.pdf

Electronic copy of an article retrieved from a database:

Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., & White, L.A. (1993). Role

of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied

Psychology, 78(4), 443-449. Retrieved October 23, 2000, from PsycARTICLES database.

The title of the journal and the volume number are in bold. The issue number is not.

Remember to cite the database which actually has the article, not the database you used to find it.

Links to APA, Turabian, and MLA Citation Guides

Guide to American Sociological Assn style

ASA Quick Style Guide

ASA Style Guide ref HM586 .A54 1997

Library Catalog

Keyword searching: finds all of your words in the title, subject or notes lines.

Subject search: looks for search terms only in the subject headings for that book.

Always use keyword searching if you want to combine terms using or and and. e.g. to find an encyclopedia on culture in a particular country, try the following search strategy:

(culture or cultural) and encyclopedia? and Japan. The ? will find the words encyclopedia of encyclopedias

The University Libraries' Catalog

Internet Sources

Evaluating Web Pages for information on determining whether you have found a reliable web site. Much information on the Internet is not credible so it is wise to check

Author Info: Nancy Ryckman