Subject Guides - Social Justice and Catholic Studies

Social Justice and Catholic Studies

Welcome to the Social Justice and Catholic Studies Subject Guide

The StMU Library is here to support you with your academic research needs. These subject guides are curated to provide you with the information you need to get started in your course.

Credible. Reliable. Curated.

This guide is an excellent starting point for research, but please contact us if you can't find what you are looking for. We're happy to assist you by email, phone a virtual meeting or, if you're near the Library, stop by for a visit.

KEEP INFORMED

Stay on top of the latest research from your favourite journals and databases with email alerts.

FIND EVIDENCE

Books, journals, and databases help you locate background information, peer-reviewed articles and reference resources.

USING GOOGLE

The web is a goldmine if you know where to look. We've done the mining for you to compile online resources that will make your work easier.

Below are some suggested databases for Social Justice and Catholic Studies.

Databases

Databases allow you to search collections of journals, articles, books, topic reviews, evidence-based summaries and drug information. StMU databases include Core Databases which are curated collections focusing on a specific subject area and Multidisciplinary Databases which provide broad subject coverage in all areas of undergraduate study.

Core Databases

ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials (EBSCO)

Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials combines the premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion and theology.

Multidisciplinary Databases

EBSCOhost Academic Search Elite

Covering all major academic disciplines, Academic Search Elite is a rich resource spanning a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals.

Project Muse Premium Collection

The Premium Collection is MUSE’s foremost collection of high quality, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journals in the humanities and social sciences.

Library Databases vs the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using the internet. You can find very helpful resources on the web but you should know where and when is the right time to use the internet versus a Library database.

LIBRARY DATABASES
  • Free access is provided to all StMU faculty, staff and students through subscriptions.
  • Credible, reliable and evidence-based information which is most often peer-reviewed.
  • Databases use subject headings and filters to organize their content, allowing for precise searching.
  • Save your results to easily cite and organize your research.
THE INTERNET
  • The internet provides access to vast amounts of information, much of which can be misleading and irrelevant.
  • It is not always clear who authored the information you are reading. Hint: Focus on reputable sources like government and non-profit organizations or authorities in your field like professional associations and subject experts whose credentials and institutional affiliations are clearly stated and easily verifiable.
  • Predatory journals can be very tricky to identify and are not reputable. For tips on how to assess whether or not a journal is scholarly and peer reviewed check out our tutorial on evaluating information.
  • Some information is free but not all. If you are asked to pay for an article, don't. Fill out an ILL Request and we will get it for you for FREE.
NEED HELP

Don't hesitate to ask We're happy to assist you in person, by phone, or by MS Teams.

OFFSITE ACCESS

Anytime, anywhere StMU students, staff, and faculty have access to all of the online resources offsite. Simply enter your credentials.

Having problems with offsite access? Make sure you're selecting OpenAthens when given an option. Check out our guide on OpenAthens External Authentication for detailed support.

Journals

The StMU Library provides access to hundreds of scholarly journals to keep you up to date with the latest evidence, research, and discussion in your field. If we don't have access to the article you're looking for, fill out an ILL Request and we'll bring in a copy for free. Below you will find links to core, full-text Education journals as well as information about assessing articles found on the web.

eJOURNALS

Immediate online access
Browse the A-Z listing of all journals available to the StMU community.

NOT A STUDENT?

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Full-text access is available on campus.

STAY CURRENT

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The catalogue is designed with busy researchers in mind. Save searches and receive notifications when new resources become available.

Core Journals

Social Justice Research

Social Justice Research publishes original papers that have broad implications for social scientists investigating the origins, structures, and consequences of justice in human affairs.

 The journal encompasses justice-related research work using traditional and novel approaches, and spanning the social sciences and beyond: psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, social policy research, political science, law, management science, and others.

Social Politics

Social Politics is a leading feminist journal that publishes original and cutting edge scholarship on gendered politics and policies in a global context. The journal’s mission is to stimulate and reflect interdisciplinary conversations, intersectional analyses and international approaches.

Studies in Social Justice

Studies in Social Justice publishes articles, dispatches and creative works relating to the social, cultural, economic, environmental, political, and philosophical problems associated with struggles for social justice. The journal aims to publish work that links theory to social change and the analysis of substantive issues. The journal welcomes heterodox contributions that are critical of established paradigms of inquiry.

The journal focuses on debates that move beyond conventional notions of social justice, and views social justice as a critical concept that is integral in the analysis of policy formation, rights, participation, social movements, and transformations. Social justice is analysed in the context of processes involving nationalism, social and public policy, globalization, diasporas, culture, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, welfare, poverty, war, and other social phenomena. It endeavours to cover questions and debates ranging from governance to democracy, sustainable environments, and human rights, and to introduce new work on pressing issues of social justice throughout the world.

Using Journals Through the Catalogue vs. Journals Found on the Internet

There is nothing wrong with using journal articles you've found on the internet, there's plenty of high quality information out there. But, there are a few things you should know about Academic, Open Access, and Predatory journals before you start.

SCHOLARLY, ACADEMIC, AND PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
  • Scholarly, academic, and peer-reviewed journals contain articles written by and for faculty, researchers, and scholars in a particular field.
  • These resources are typically published by academic organizations, utilize specialist or scholarly language, and adhere to strict standards of referencing throughout.
  • Not all scholarly and academic journals are peer-reviewed.
  • To see if a print journal is peer-reviewed, check the 'publication information' at the front of the journal.
  • For electronic journals, information regarding the peer-review process can usually be found on the 'About the Journal' or 'Notes for Authors' page of the journal's website.
  • Peer reviewed articles are identified in the Library catalogue.
  • Streamline your search process by limiting searches to limit results to include only peer-reviewed journals and articles.
JOURNALS & ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET
  • The internet provides access to vast amounts of information, much of which can be misleading, irrelevant, or fails to meet the standards of academic rigour.
  • It is not always clear who authored the information you are reading. Before using articles found on the web. be sure to verify the credentials and institutional affiliation of the author.
  • Focus on Open Access journals published by reputable sources such as academic institutions and professional organizations.
  • Predatory journals can be very tricky to identify and are not reputable. For tips on how to assess whether or not a journal is scholarly and peer reviewed check our tutorial on evaluating information sources
  • Some information is free but not all. If you are asked to pay for an article, don't. Fill out an ILL Request and we will get it for you for FREE.

Books

Libraries are filled with books! Many prefer holding a hard copy book instead of an electronic version. Don't worry, we have both available depending on what you like best.

Books are ideal information sources to consult when looking for a comprehensive overview of your topic. Don't see what you are looking for? Ask us about InterLibrary Loans to find a book from another library.

Physical Collections

BR1-1725 Christianity

BR1610 Tolerance and toleration

BR1615-1617 Liberalism

HN1-995 Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform

HN30-39 The church and social problems

Keywords

Anti-oppression theory

Critical race theory

Postcolonial theory

Indigenous knowledge approach

Dignity

Church teachings

Subjects

Social justice — Religious aspects

Christianity and justice

Social justice — History

Social justice — Biblical teaching

Justice — Biblical teaching

Race relations — Religious aspects

Libraries are filled with books! Many prefer holding a hard copy book instead of an electronic version. Don't worry, we have both available depending on what you like best.

Books are ideal information sources to consult when looking for a comprehensive overview of your topic. Don't see what you are looking for? Ask us about InterLibrary Loans to find a book from another library.

eBOOKS

Click and read Immediate access anytime, anywhere.

PRINT BOOKS

Available to all Place a Request in the catalogue for quick pickup or visit the library to browse the stacks. .

OTHER LIBRARIES

You can borrow from them too Search and Request books from our SAIL partners (U of C, AU, and BVC) from within the STMU catalogue.

Web Resources

The internet has a wealth of information. Explore grey literature, Open Education Resources and digital repositories to discover information about your subject from all over the world. Below you will find a curated list of web resources.

Below you will find a curated list of web resources.

Abacus

Abacus holds the Library’s collection of research data sets from around the world, primarily public use microdata or pumfs from censuses, other social and health surveys, public opinion polls, and spatial data for GIS. Access to most data is restricted, but reference materials such as user guides and codebooks are open to all users.

Canadian Human Rights Commission

The Canadian Human Rights Commission administers the Canadian Human Rights Act and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Employment Equity Act.

Gender Statistics

The Global Gender Statistics Programme is mandated by the United Nations Statistical Commission, implemented by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and coordinated by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics IAEG-GS.

GREY LITERATURE

It's not always black and whiteGrey literature falls into a 'grey area' of materials produced outside traditional publishing channels. Learn more about grey literature in the Research Tips tab.

NEVER PAY

Request and you shall receive If you have located an article online that the StMU Library does not have access to through our databases and journals, submit an ILL request and we'll locate a copy at no charge.

Citing & Writing

Many electronic resources, such as the Library catalogue and academic databases, offer citation generation tools to automatically generate citations in your chosen style. Be sure to always verify the accuracy of the citation as sometimes this information is incorrect or improperly formatted. Below you will find a selection of citing and writing resources.

Citation Styles

ACS (American Chemical Society)

APA (American Psychological Association)

APS (American Physical Society)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. Council of Science Editors Style Guide

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

Chicago/Turabian

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk

IEEE Style Manual (PDF)

This style is commonly used for Electrical and Computer Engineering.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.
Writing Resources for Subject Essay do's and don'ts : a practical guide to essay writing Print resource: General Reserves PE1408 .E54 2017

Other Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.

STAY CURRENT

Style guides are updated regularly to keep pace with the changing nature of information, but instructors don't always adopt the most current guideline right away.

GET HELP

Check out the academic writing series offered by the Learning Centre and master the citation styles used in your field of study.

Citation Styles

APS (American Physical Society)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Council of Science Editors Style Guide

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk.

Chicago/Turabian

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

IEEE Style Manual (PDF)

This style is commonly used for Electrical and Computer Engineering.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Other Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.

Research Tips

Primary Articles

Original Research Articles

These are articles reporting on original research and include elements such as a hypothesis, background studies, literature reviews, detailed methodologies, results, interpretations of findings, and discussions on possible implications and future research. Original research articles are typically longer, ranging from 3, 000 – 12, 000 words. These articles are peer reviewed and cite relevant publications from other authors that relate to the research being conducted.

Case Studies

These articles report on the in-depth study of a specific person, group, or event. They are used in a variety of fields such as psychology, medicine, education, political science, and social work in order to seek patterns and causes of behaviour.

Secondary Articles

Literature Reviews

A literature review is a systematic summary and synthesis of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. They frequently convey what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, as well as critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the field. They will often lack a ‘Methods’ section, though they are often peer reviewed.  

Systematic Reviews

These reviews are often designed to provide an exhaustive summary of current evidence in relation to a specific research question, synthesize findings qualitatively or quantitatively, and critically appraise research studies. Systematic reviews use rigorous and transparent review methodologies with the aim of assessing and minimizing bias in the findings. 

Meta-analyses

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies addressing the same question. The primary aim is to use statistical analyses to determine common truths. Meta-analyses can be part of a broader systematic review.

Special Articles

Including letters to the editor, correspondences, short communications, editorials, pictorial essays

Special Articles

Tertiary/ Gray Literature

Broadly speaking, gray literature is information produced outside of the traditional academic publishing and distribution systems such as academic journals and monographs. Gray literature can include reports, policies, working papers, newsletters, speeches, government documents, and more.

As grey literature is produced directly by an individual or organization, for their own either use or wider sharing, it is often more current than academic publications as it is not subject to the delays found in traditional publishing processes.

As grey literature does not go through a rigorous peer review process the quality can vary significantly, and it is recommended that these sources be critically evaluated.

Technical reports

These can include scientific studies conducted by Government agencies and NGO which are often not peer reviewed. These types of reports can be found in both scholarly databases and freely on the web.