Research Guides: Sociology Research Guide: Books, Articles, etc.

Introduction

This guide will assist you in locating published scholarship (books and journal articles) to read on a topic. Choose a topic that is interesting to you and which will work within your assignment's parameters.

First, read a good summary of the topic in a subject encyclopedia, like those listed below. Second, once you have a basic overview of the topic then search for published scholarship, using catalogs to find scholarly books, and databases to find scholarly journal articles.

Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your resources, and think critically about their content and arguments. When in doubt, check with your Sociology instructor.

Scholarly Books

OneSearch: Search for scholarly books, articles, and other materials at Queens College Library, as well as other CUNY libraries.
WorldCat: Search for scholarly books in the national catalog for the United States and Canada. Includes holdings from libraries in other parts of the world, primarily European or English-speaking.

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries (Reference Books)

Subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Oxford Reference

21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook (2 vols.)
Publication Date: 2007
Excellent starting point for an overview of the current state of research in an area of sociology. Provides ten-page essays, and an extensive reference list for each essay at the end of each volume.
Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.)
Publication Date: 2007
Contains the most up-to-date short entries of key terms, and longer essays on large topics.
Encyclopedia of Sociology (4 vols., 2nd edition)
Publication Date: 2001
Standard reference source for short summaries of basic concepts and theories in sociology.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences (9 vols., 2nd edition)
Publication Date: 2008
Completely revised edition of the classic encyclopedias (1937, 1968) that set the standard for social science reference resources.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Basic information from reference books, magazine and news articles on many social issues, such as abortion, capital punishment, welfare reform.

Scholarly Journal Articles (Search Databases)

Annual Reviews This link opens in a new window
Contains the Annual Review of Sociology.
APA PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
This database is the world's largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Education Source This link opens in a new window
Education Source is the world's largest full-text research database designed for education students, professionals and policymakers.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
ERIC, (EBSCO), Education Resources Information Center, is an authoritative database of indexed and full-text education literature and resources.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
ERIC (ProQuest) is the largest education database in the world — containing over one million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum, and teaching guides, conference papers, and books.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Remote access to Google Scholar may not always work. In such cases we advise that you follow the steps below or review the FAQ on Google Scholar
How to access QC subscribed articles via Google Scholar:
1.Access Google Scholar via the un-proxied version: Google Scholar
2. From the Menu Icon on the Top Left select Settings then Library Links
3. In Library Links, search for Queens College then select "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC"
4. SAVE and return to the Google Scholar Homepage
5. You should be able to search for articles. When you see the "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC", select to either be re-directed to the Library Catalogue, OneSearch or asked to login to the library proxy in order to access articles.
6. Please review the FAQ on logging into the library proxy.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Electronic Resources Librarian by completing the Electronic Resources Access Form.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals and e-books that include primary sources, images, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR provided expanded access during the pandemic (June 2020-June 2023). Expanded access expires on June 30, 2023. CUNY will reinstate that access beginning in January 2024.You may review the Electronic Resources Status Dashboard for updates. Questions? Email: access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a Ticket!
OneSearch This link opens in a new window
OneSearch is Queens College Library's catalogue. Users may use OneSearch to access articles, databases, e-books, e-book chapters, journals, and streaming videos. OneSearch provides users with access to open access content as well as content within CUNY and Queens College Library's subscriptions.
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W.Wilson) covers the latest concepts, theories, and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text, Peer-Reviewed sociology journals covering many studies including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion, and social work.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences; (1952-current).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

What is a scholarly journal article?

A scholarly journal article is written by a scholar or an expert, and provides a detailed analysis of a topic. It is written in the specialized language of a scholarly discipline (such as Philosophy). It documents the resources the writer used by providing bibliographic citations such as footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography so a reader can check or repeat the research the scholar has completed.

A scholarly journal is edited by scholars, and any article published in the journal has usually been approved by the author's peers or by referees (other scholars expert in the subject who serve as editors or readers and critique the article before it is accepted for publication). This is why most scholarly journals are referred to as a Peer-Reviewed or Refereed journals.

USC Libraries has an excellent guide to scholarly, popular, and other sources.

Evaluating Articles and Other Sources

Not sure if an article is a legitimate source? Give it the CRAAP test! Think about its Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. There are a lot of guides to the CRAAP test online: Central Michigan University's is excellent.

Data & Statistics

American Factfinder
Searchable data and statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Find Data on the Internet through Web Portals
Selected data organizations and datasets compiled by the University of Missouri Libraries.
General Social Survey
Contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, many of which have remained unchanged since 1972 to facilitate time-trend studies as well as replication of earlier findings. It has tracked the opinions of Americans over the last four decades.
ICPSR: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences, with sixteen (16) specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields. CUNY is an ICPSR member. CUNY faculty and advanced students engaged in social science research can obtain ICPSR data free of charge. Consult with your sociology instructor first.

Infoshare Online This link opens in a new window
A sophisticated database program that can be used to view and analyze an array of community and regional data from neighborhoods and other local areas of New York City and New York State; includes population statistics, immigration trends, socio-economic indicators, birth and death data, hospitalizations, local trade data, and more, with data from 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 census, and other sources.
New data is not added to the system. It is relatively inactive.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Social Explorer provides interactive demographic data. Its mapping tools allow data to be easily visualized, and it also allows users to extract data table reports. Users may generate custom reports and maps, and they may create personal accounts to save their reports and maps.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
To use Social Explorer remotely, save, and share projects, please create a personal account.

Scholarly Organizations

Reports, studies, and data are sometimes available from the major scholarly organizations for the study of sociology.