Subject Guides - Sociology

Sociology

Below are some suggested databases for Sociology.

Databases

Core Databases

Family & Society Studies Worldwide (EBSCO)

This bibliographic database provides the most comprehensive coverage of research, policy and practice literature in the fields of family science, human ecology, human development and social welfare.

JSTOR Arts & Sciences 1

JSTOR’s first collection includes core journals in economics, history, political science, and sociology, as well as in other key fields in the humanities and social sciences.

JSTOR Arts & Sciences 4

This collection expands JSTOR’s coverage in economics, law, education, sociology, psychology, and public policy and administration. It includes noteworthy student-run law reviews, featuring more than a century of top legal scholarship.

SocINDEX (EBSCO)

SocINDEX with Full Text is the world’s most comprehensive and highest quality sociology research database. The database features more than 2.1 million records with subject headings from a 20,000+ term sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers.

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.

Streaming Services

Films on Demand (Infobase)

Films On Demand is a streaming video service containing outstanding educational programs. Many programs from the History Channel, Biography Channel, BBC, PBS and other news channels are included in this collection.

National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

This collection includes documentaries, animations, experimental films, fiction and interactive works. It showcases films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians—stories about the environment, human rights, international conflict, the arts and more.

Journals

Core Journals

The Canadian review of sociology = La Revue canadienne de sociologie.

The Canadian Review of Sociology / Revue canadienne de sociologie (CRS/RCS) is the journal of the Canadian Sociological Association/La Société canadienne de sociologie. The CRS/RCS is committed to the dissemination of innovative ideas and research findings that are at the core of the discipline. The CRS/RCS publishes both theoretical and empirical work that reflects a wide range of methodological approaches. It is essential reading for those interested in sociological research in Canada and abroad.

Canadian journal of sociology = Cahiers canadiens de sociologie.

The Canadian Journal of Sociology publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research articles and innovative theoretical essays by social scientists from around the world, providing insight into the issues facing Canadian society as well as social and cultural systems in other countries. The journal also features a lively debate/commentary section encouraging the intensive exchange of ideas, along with regular sections such as “Notes on Society” that address topical issues of the day from a social science point of view and “Notes on the Discipline” designed to discuss a variety of issues encountered in the course of the sociological analysis of modern society.

Sociology of Sport Journal

Published four times a year (March, June, September, December), the Sociology of Sport Journal (SSJ) publishes original research, framed by social theory, on exercise, sport, physical culture, and the (physically active) body. Analyses from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives are encouraged to stimulate further research, critical thought, and theory development on topics ranging in broad scope from global professional sport, coaching, commercial exercise/fitness, and recreational physical activity. The journal publishes an array of peer-reviewed research articles, research notes, and book reviews.

Print resource: Periodical GV706.5 .S635 

Sociology of Education

Sociology of Education (SOE) provides a forum for studies in the sociology of education and human social development. SOE publishes research that examines how social institutions and individuals’ experiences within these institutions affect educational processes and social development. Such research may span various levels of analysis, ranging from the individual to the structure of relations among social and educational institutions. In an increasingly complex society, important educational issues arise throughout the life cycle.

American Journal of Sociology

Established in 1895 as the first US scholarly journal in its field, the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) presents path breaking work from all areas of sociology, with an emphasis on theory building and innovative methods. AJS strives to speak to the general sociology reader and is open to contributions from across the social sciences—sociology, political science, economics, history, anthropology, and statistics—that seriously engage the sociological literature to forge new ways of understanding the social.


AJS offers a substantial book review section that identifies the most salient work of both emerging and enduring scholars of social science. Commissioned review essays appear occasionally, offering readers a comparative, in-depth examination of prominent titles.

International review of sociology = Revue internationale de sociologie.

International Review of Sociology is the oldest journal in the field of sociology, founded in 1893 by René Worms. It is published with the financial support of Sapienza University of Rome, and its direction is under the responsibility of the Department of Statistics.


Entrusting the journal into the Department of Statistics of Sapienza University reinforces the view that sociology cannot be conceived apart from economics, history, demography, anthropology, and social psychology. Thus, the International Review of Sociology provides a medium through which up-to-date results of interdisciplinary research can be spread across disciplines as well as across continents and cultures.

Reference Resources

Books

Physical Collections

If you're not sure exactly what you're looking for, you may browse the shelves at the following call number locations:

HM 300-1281: Sociology

HM 435-477: History of sociology. History of sociological theory

HM 481-554: Theory. Method. Relations to other subjects

HM 621-656: Culture

HM 661-696: Social control

HM 701: Social systems

HM 706: Social structure

HM 711-806: Groups and organizations

HM 811-821: Deviant behaviour. Social deviance

HM 826: Social institutions

HM 831-901: Social change

HM 1001-1281: Social psychology

HN 1-995: Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform

HN 30-39: The church and social problems

HN 41-46: Community centres. Social centres

Keywords

Gender Role

Sociological Statistical Methods

Sociology and Religion

Societal communities

Subject

Sex Role

School of Sociology

Religion and Sociology

Communities

Web Resources

Online Resources

Canadian Council on Social Development

“The CCSD is a non-profit social policy and research organization focusing on issues such as poverty, social inclusion, disability, cultural diversity, child well-being, employment and housing”. This site contains research reports and other publications.

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse

This site provides excellent information about substance abuse related to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Some of the main divisions of the site are: statistics, cannabis issues, youth and gambling.

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)

Addresses issues regarding social and economic justice
 

Citing & Writing

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

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.