SOCI 1301 (Ms. Stuart): Introduction to Sociology
Purpose: To acquaint you with print and electronic materials provided by Cornette Library that will make it easier to write your paper about a person in sociology.
Reference Sources
- Excellent place to start research.
- Provide background information.
- Include basic information sources like dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, chronologies, and research guides.
Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
- Provide in-depth, scholarly articles, focused on a specific subject or discipline. Often include bibliographies.
- Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: A User's Guide to Sociological Language
- HM425 .J64 2000 (netLibrary)
- Paragraph length definitions of terms, plus sketches of major sociological thinkers and titles of their major works.
- Encyclopedia of Sociology
- HM425 .E5 2000 (Reference)
- Five volume set discusses major concepts of sociology with index and bibliographies.
- Sociology Basics
- HM425 .S63 2000 (netLibrary)
- Major concepts classed by school and field of study, terms defined and overview provided.
- Related disciplines
- See also Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice, Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, Encyclopedia of Psychology, Encyclopedia of Social Work, Encyclopedia of Television, and Encyclopedia of Terrorism
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Books & Journal Titles
- Cornette Library's online catalog
- Includes books, government documents, videos, journal titles, etc. available throughout the Library.
- Suggested searches for books on your subject include:
- a keyword search for your subject, such as oprah winfrey will find items BY and items ABOUT the person.
- an "Author Lastname" search on the AUTHOR/TITLE/SUBJECT tab for durkheim, emile will find items BY the person.
- a "Subject List" search on the AUTHOR/TITLE/SUBJECT tab for durkheim will also list durkheimian school of sociology..
- SOCIAL PROBLEMS can also be searched as SOCIAL ISSUES.
To determine the most appropriate subject headings for your search, refer to the red Library of Congress Subject Headings near the Reference computers in the Library or search the online Library of Congress Authorities Catalog.
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Articles
Current and in-depth information
- Library shelves contain more than 1500 bound and current journals.
- Microform (film or fiche) (second floor) available for dozens of leading newspapers, as well as other periodicals.
- Databases index articles found in journals and magazines.
- Citation only;
- Citation and a short summary of the article (abstract);
- Full text;
- General, covering many kinds of topics, and specialized, for specific disciplines.
Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Professional Journals
Distinction between scholarly journals and magazines is important because:
- Your instructor may specify "use only scholarly" sources,
- Various citation styles treat journals and magazines differently,
- Material in a journal is automatically considered more authoritative than a magazine, and peer-reviewed journals are considered the most authoritative.
- Using scholarly sources makes it easier to evaluate the quality of an article.
Professional journals are scholarly journals that are published by a professional association or organization.
Individually, most of these criteria are guidelines. Some publications won't fit exactly. Select the classification that matches more of the criteria.
Check with your instructor if you are not sure of the classification of a particular source.
How to Access Databases
- On-campus: In the library or HELC.
- Off-campus: Login with your Buff Advisor username (for example, js123456) and your Buff Advisor password (for example, buffaloes).
- Database citations not in full-text may be located in Cornette Library's online catalog, or the list of online journals.
- Use Interlibrary Loan to request articles inaccessible through Cornette library. Allow up to 1 week (3 weeks for books) for articles to arrive.
Which database?
- Academic Search Complete
- Contains abstracts and citations for a broad range of topics, with substantial full-text. Over 3,000 peer-reviewed sources.
- Electronic Journal of Sociology
- Online, refereed journal, 3 levels of review.
- JSTOR
- Full-text of 23 sociology journals from first day of publication to a moving wall 3-5 years ago.
- Do a title search for your person, select the type "article", and also select Discipline(s) and/or Journal(s) as "Sociology".
Logo
- Displays in most of our databases. Links from a citation to one or more of the following:
- One or more links to full-text of the cited article,
- A link to a pre-set search of the Cornette Library catalog for the cited item,
- A link to a pre-filled Interlibrary Loan request form for the article, or
- A link to various help options.
- For more information see the tutorial Using SFX to Link to Articles
Need Help?
- Ask at the Reference Desk (first floor) or Periodicals Desk (second floor).
- Call 651-2215 during the hours Cornette Library is open.
- Use the "Ask A Librarian" page for electronic reference support.
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Government Documents
Cornette Library collects United States federal and Texas state documents on many topics.
- Census reports from 2000 are available online at American FactFinder.
- Earlier Census material is on library shelves.
- Most U.S. documents published since 1994 are listed in the Cornette Library's online catalog.
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications
- Indexes all United States government documents made available through the Government Printing Office.
- Includes Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; documents issued by executive departments (Defense, State, Labor, Office of the President, etc.).
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Web Sites
- The World Wide Web is an excellent source of information.
- Not everything found on the Web is accurate.
- You must evaluate information on the Web.
Professional Associations
- American Sociological Association - Journals & Publications
- Lists Association publications. Main site also contains information about employment, ethics, careers, and much more.
- APA Journals
- Alphabetical title listing of journals published by the American Psychological Association.
Web Guides
- Searchable lists of annotated web sites, discussion lists, and electronic journals that have met specific selection criteria.
- Scout Report Archives
- Scholarly. Keyword or advanced search. Results listed by relevance.
- INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
- Scholarly. Keyword search or browse by general subject area. Can limit to free sites.
- ipl2 - "Information You Can Trust" (merger of Internet Public Library and Librarians' Index to the Internet)
- General public interest. Keyword search, or browse by general topic and subtopic.
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Citing Your Sources
Why must I cite the sources I use for research projects?
- To give credit to the author of the information you use.
- To avoid plagiarism (WTAMU Code of Student Life: Appendix I-Academic Integrity Code). Plagiarism is a serious offense that can result in a failing grade or worse!
- So that others can verify the information.
- To assist others in doing their own research.
Style Manuals
- Ms. Stuart requires you to use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, or ASA style.
- Copies of the APA and MLA manuals are located at the Reference Desk.
- Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) has a good summary of ASA style, as well as APA Style and MLA Style.
- Sample citations are presented on our Citation Basics web page.
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Your Comments
- Suggestions for improvements?
- Particularly helpful items?
- Please email Linda Chenoweth.
Thank you.
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