Liaison
Swem Library's Sociology Liaison: Mary Molineux msmoli@wm.edu 757-221-3076
Contact the liaison for research help or any questions about locating materials or information you need. The liaison will teach library instruction classes and schedule one-on-one or group appointments.
Journal, Magazine, & Newspaper Articles
A. To find scholarly journal articles in Sociology, start with:
Sociological Abstracts -- a comprehensive index to 1,800 Sociology journals, 1963-present.
How to Use Sociological Abstracts
The same 1,800 Sociology journals are also indexed in the following database. Social Sciences Citation Index is more difficult to search, but does provide citation information (such as how many times an article was cited by other articles).
Social Sciences Citation Index via Web of Science
How to Use Social Sciences Citation Index
The following periodicals are indexed in Sociological Abstracts. They are listed separately here because they publish articles dealing with the newest topics in Sociology and can be useful for browsing or for choosing a topic:
B. To find selected scholarly journal articles in Sociology and in related disciplines, such as economics and education, try these journal databases:
- Academic Search Premier -- index to 4,500 journals, including 3,600 peer-reviewed journals, covering all disciplines; about 1,100 of the journals cover Sociology topics
- CIAO -- index to journals, books, papers, etc., dealing with social and political issues, including human rights, women, etc.
- Clase Periodica -- index to 2,600 Latin American journals covering social sciences and other topics
- Communication & Mass Media Complete -- index of 600+ journals in mass media, communications, and journalism
- Contemporary Women's Issues -- index to journal articles and reports about women's issues
- EconLit -- index to 700+ economics journals
- Education Research Complete -- index to 1,500 education journals
- ERIC via CSA or ERIC via FirstSearch -- index to over 2,000 education journals and thousands of education reports; most recent reports are full-text
- Handbook of Latin American Studies -- index to books, journals, etc., on many topics related to Latin America General OneFile (formerly InfoTrac OneFile) -- interdisciplinary; about 50 Sociology journals indexed, some full-text
- JSTOR -- index to 800 journals covering all disciplines. Articles are 2 to 5 years old; about 50 are Sociology journals indexed and full-text, plus another 100 are journals that may relate to Sociology
- Lexis-Nexis Academic -- interdisciplinary; about 50 Sociology journals indexed
- LGBT Life with Full Text -- more than 400 magazines, journals books and news sources covering Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues
- Oxford University Journals -- index to 200+ journals published by Oxford University Press, covering all disciplines; about 30 of the journals cover Sociology topics and are full-text
- PAIS -- index to public affairs journal articles
- PILOTS (Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress) --
citations to literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Project Muse -- interdisciplinary; about 20 Sociology journals indexed and full-text
- PsycINFO -- index to psychology journal articles
- Science Direct -- interdisciplinary; about 35 Sociology journals indexed and full-text
- Social Services Abstracts -- index to social work and social welfare journal articles
- Women's Studies International -- index to more than 2,000 journals that relate women's studies and the areas of sociology, history, political science & economy, public policy, international relations, arts & humanities, business, and education
C. To find popular magazine articles, newspaper articles, television/radio transcripts, advertisements, and other media sources, especially for assignments about the role of popular media, try these journal databases:
Books & Dissertations & Conference Papers
Library of Congress Subject Headings "Authority File" -- use to identify the best search terms to use when searching the BOOK DATABASES listed below.
Library of Congress Call Numbers for Sociology -- use to understand the groupings of Sociology topics by call numbers.
- BOOK DATABASES:
- Swem Library's Catalog -- index to the books, journal titles, government documents, videos, etc., at W&M libraries and partner libraries
- WorldCat -- index to of books and other materials at 60,000 libraries
- Center for Research Libraries -- catalog of a consortium of North American libraries
Statistics & Polls
POLLS/PUBLIC OPINION:
Gallup Brain
Gallup Poll and Gallup Poll Monthly -- click to go to our Library Catalog for details
Harris Interactive
- iPoll
- Mason Dixon Polling and Research
- Pew Research Center
- Polling the Nations
- Pollster.com
- Princeton Survey Research Associates International
- Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
- World Public Opinion
- To find printed books, search our catalog, using 'public opinion' OR 'opinion polls' as key phrases.
- To find journal articles, search Sociological Abstracts, using "opinion polls," opinions, "public opinion," "social attitudes," surveys, questionnaires, fieldwork, and other related terms as Descriptors.
Country Information
Country Information (web page with links, posted by University of Colorado at Boulder)
Foreign Affairs & Trade (web page with links, posted by Swem Library)
Organizations & Associations as Resources/Finding "Claimsmakers"
Associations Unlimited
Leadership Library -- use the basic search to find organizations by topic (e.g., "gun control") or name
Lexis-Nexis Congressional -- find "claimsmakers" who are mentioned or who testify at Congressional hearings; use Advanced Search and search by witness/organization.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries for Background Information
These are some of the many Sociology reference books that provide background information on your topic, including major thinkers, concepts, and possibly recommended books and articles. Most are shelved in the 1st Floor reference collection at the Ref HM through Ref HV call number areas. To locate each of these, click on the links below.
Websites for Sociology
- AcademicInfo: Sociology.
A good, general index to academic related sites
- Allyn & Bacon Sociology Links.
A major publisher of sociological texts provides and maintains this extensive collection of Internet links arranged by topic. "Research Methods" is particularly noteworthy.
- American Sociological Association.
ASA information about membership, recent publications, conferences and meetings, employment and funding opportunities in sociology.
- The Argus Clearinghouse -- Social Sciences and Social Issues.
Highly selective subject guide of sites recommended by Argus and Associates. Provides hundreds of links to social science sites including demography, social research, sociology of families, kinship and marriage, etc.
- Dead Sociologists' Society.
The lives of 16 key sociologists with summaries of their works and ideas. Plus a collection of Internet links arranged by topic.
- A Sociological Tour through Cyberspace.
Good starting point. Fully annotated list of sites for general sociology resources, sociological theory, data resources, methods and statistics, and specific subjects. Also includes essays on sociology theory and practice as well as a guide to writing a research paper.
- SocioSite.
Megasite produced by the Sociological Institute of the University of Amsterdam to provide access to European and worldwide resources of academic sociology.
- The SocioWeb.
A comprehensive, independent guide to sociology resources on the Internet divided into twelve categories including Internet Indexes and Guides, Commercial Sites, Journals and 'Zines, Sociological Theory, Surveys and Statistics, Topical Research, and University Departments.
- SOSIG: Social Science Information Gateway
Offers a catalog of selected, annotated Internet resources in the social sciences, business, and law, plus a search engine for over 50,000 social science web pages.
- WWW Virtual Library: Sociology.
Meta index of sociology Internet sites. Includes sociology departments from around the world, centers for research, directories of resources, discussion groups of interest to sociologists, electronic journals and newsletters, organizations, and other sociology resources.
For more web resources, try a Google Scholar search with appropriate keywords for your specific needs.
Style Manuals for Sociology + a guide to RefWorks
Course Web Pages for Sociology
Return to SUBJECT GUIDES web page
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