Sociology

research guide
Librarian: Diane Prorak
E-mail: prorak@uidaho.edu

UI Library Website: www.lib.uidaho.edu

If you need additional help with your research, try:
Reference Works
The reference section can be the best place to start your research. 

Use reference works to:

  • Get an overview or background information on a topic 

  • Get ideas for focusing your own research
  • Find bibliographies of more in-depth sources
  • Find quick facts and statistics
  • Find biographical information
How To Use The Reference Section
The reference section is located on the 1st floor of the library. Because it is a fairly small area, browsing the shelves in the general area of your topic is a quick way to look for relevant material. Books are shelved using the Library of Congress classification scheme. Reference works (both print and electronic) can also be found by searching the library catalog. Remember to make your search terms general as reference works tend to have broad coverage. For example, a keyword search using "homosexuality" and "encyclopedia" finds two encyclopedias  covering many different aspects of homosexuality.

Sociology will be classified in the Library of Congress system in HM through HS.  However, related subjects may appear in many other classifications.

 
Selected Reference Works in Sociology

Title/Description

Call #
2005 Directory of Adult and Juvenile Correctional Departments,
Institutions, Agencies, and Probation and Parole		 Ref HV9463.A8 2005
Encyclopedia of Social Theory Ref HM425.E47 2005
Encyclopedia of Aging Ref HQ1061.E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender Ref HQ1115.E43 2001
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America Ref HQ76.3.U5E53 2004
Criminal Justice Reference books:
Encyclopedia of American Prisons Ref HV9471.S54 2003
Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment Ref HV6017.E524 2002
Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior Ref HV6017.E53 2001
Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol Ref HV5804.E53 1995
Encyclopedia of Forensic Science Ref HV8073.B425 2004
Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences Ref HV8073.E58 2000
Encyclopedia of Juvenile Justice Ref HV9104.E58 2003
Encyclopedia of Murder & Violent Crime Ref HV6515.E5232 2003
Guns in American Society Ref HV7436.G8783 2002
Books
Books may contain a broad overview of a topic or an in-depth exploration of a topic. Books range from popular to scholarly and as with all sources, you should be aware of the author's credentials. 

Keep in Mind:

  • Books on a broad topic may contain chapters or essays on your topic. Often these are not indicated by the title. When searching, think both broadly and narrowly. 
  • Check the index of a book to find your subject.
  • The bibliography in a book can be a great place to find additional sources.
How To Find Books

To search for books in our library, type your search terms in the box below:

Books located at the UI Library, the UI Women's Center (in Memorial Gym) the UI Law Library, NIC (North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene), and LCSC (Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston) can be found by searching the Library Catalog. For help with searching  the catalog, see the Searching for Books Library Guide. 

For some assignments, a subject search usually works well. Examples of subject search terms are:

Some examples of sociology related terms to browse by:

  • Bisexuals
  • Coming out (sexual orientation)
  • Gay men
  • Gays
  • Homosexuality 
  • Lesbians
  • Transsexuals
  • Aging Psychological Aspects
  •  Family Economic Aspects
  • Forensic sciences
  • Gerontology
  •  Mothers Employment United States
  •  Old age United states
  • Older People United States
  • Retirees
  • Serial murders 
  • Sex differences
  • Sexual Division of Labor
  • Women College Teachers United States History
  • Women Employment United States History
  • Women United States Social Conditions
  • Work and Family United States
Articles
Articles are found in periodicals.  Examples of periodicals are magazines, journals, and newspapers. Scholarly (also called peer-reviewed or refereed) journals are one of the primary means of disseminating ideas in academic scholarship. 

If you are unsure how to differentiate between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine, see:
http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/instruction/difference.htm
How To Find Articles
Articles are located by searching for your topic in an article database (sometimes called an article index). First, select an appropriate database from the Library Find Articles page. The next to the database title gives information about the coverage of the database. 

After selecting a database to search, type in search terms. Articles are generally more specific than books and may require a narrower search. 

IMPORTANT SEARCH TIP:  If you are not getting the results you want from your search:

  • Try different search terms or different combinations of terms
  • Try a different database

Example of an efficient search:

  • (gay or lesbian*): the parentheses and OR allow you to include more terms in one search
  • The * is a wildcard, so you will find lesbian or lesbians, history or histories
  • AND requires that the concepts of oral history and gay/lesbian sexual orientation are BOTH present in the resulting articles. 

Selected Article Indexes for Sociology

For a list of article databases in the Social sciences, click here:

http://db.lib.uidaho.edu/databases/display.php3?subject=14&disptype=S

Journal List
Use the Journal List to find out what magazines and journals the UI Library owns and whether they are online or in print.
Find journals and magazines by title or ISSN

Browse journals by title

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Government Information
Government publications come from state, federal, and foreign governments, as well as intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations. Many government publications are primary source documents. 

Keep in Mind:

  • A great place to look for statistical information
  • Government publications are often organized differently than the other collections in a library. Ask a reference librarian for help.
  • The University of Idaho Library is both an Idaho state and federal depository library. This means we have most government publications from these two jurisdictions.
How To Find Government Resources
Government documents can be difficult to find. How to Find Government Information is a good place to start. Once you have a call number for an item, you need to go to Government Documents on the 1st floor of the library.

 
Selected Government Resources 

Title/Description

Call #
Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Crime in Idaho http://www.isp.state.id.us/identification/ucr/crime_idaho.html
Idaho laws and rules http://www.state.id.us/laws_rules/
National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/
National Center for Health Statistics: Aging http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/agingact.htm
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
Statistical Abstract of the United States http://www.census.gov/statab/www/
Thomas (For searching U.S. laws and legislation) http://thomas.loc.gov/
Uniform Crime Reports  http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius
U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/
U.S. Government Statistics sites http://db.lib.uidaho.edu/govdocs/subject.php3?sp=3
Other U.S. Government information web sites http://db.lib.uidaho.edu/govdocs/index.php3

Internet Resources
Information on the Internet ranges from the free web to electronic books, journals, etc. that the library pays for. The Internet is a wonderful source for many different types of information. It is important to remember that anyone can publish something on the web and it is critical to evaluate your source carefully. The library's Website Evaluation Criteria can help you choose reliable information.
How To Find and Evaluate Internet Resources
For some tips on the difference between search engines, subject directories, and the invisible web see this UC Berkeley tutorial Types of Search Tools.
Evaluation pages

General Evaluation of Sources:
http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/instruction/evaluating_sources.htm

Website evaluation:
http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/instruction/webcriteria.htm
Citing Sources

You will need to properly cite your sources in  APA style.  Here are some links that may be helpful:

APA Style.org

UI Library's page of Electronic Style Guides