Introduction to Sociology

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
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Getting to Know Your Topic

SELECTED REFERENCE SOURCES

Borgatta, Edgar F. and Rhonda J. V. Montgomery, Eds. 2000. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 301.03 E56of v.1-5 (Level A)

Marshall, Gordon. 1994. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 301.03 M368c (Level A)

Ritzer, George, Ed. 2005. Encyclopedia of Social Theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 301.01 E56o v.1-2 (Level A)

Trexler Library may also have reference works related to your particular social issue. To find them, search the catalog or ask for help. Examples include:

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, Ed. Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 302.23083 E56o v.1-2 (Level A)

Bankston, Carl L., Ed. Racial and Ethnic Relations in America. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2000.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 305.800973 R121a v.1-3 (Level A)

Mink, Gwendolyn, and Alice O'Connor, Eds. Poverty in the United States: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, and Policy. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 339.460973 M665p (Level A)

Newton, David E. Violence and the Media: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1996.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 303.6 N562v (Level A)

Odekan, Mehmet, Ed., Encyclopedia of World Poverty. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006.
Call Number: Trexler Library Reference Collection 362.503 E56o v.1-3 (Level A)

NEWS SOURCES

Academic Search Premier
Contains popular sources (major newspapers and news magazines), in addition to scholarly sources.

LexisNexis Academic
Major source for finding U.S. and international newspapers.

OmniFile (WilsonWeb)
Contains popular sources (major newspapers and news magazines), in addition to scholarly sources.

NOTE: Trexler Library also keeps paper copies of many major newspapers and news magazines. Browse these publications for ideas. Check the library catalog by title to verify the library's holdings or visit the newspapers and periodicals sections on Level A of the library to browse available titles.

Finding Articles: Databases & Indexes

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

To access these and other article databases from the Library Homepage, use the Databases A-Z (in the Quick Links box).

SOCIOLOGICAL DATABASES...

Sociological Abstracts (SocAbs)
Sociology.

JSTOR
Searchable collections of full-text journals. JSTOR is an interdisciplinary database, but contains the full text of many Sociology journals along with many others from a wide variety of possibly relevant disciplines.

INTERDISCIPLINARY DATABASES...
NOTE: In addition to some scholarly resources, these databases also have popular resources. They may be useful for finding "social artifacts" related to your topic.

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that covers most academic disciplines, including Sociology. Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources.

OmniFile (WilsonWeb)
A full text "mega" database comprised of various smaller databases from separate academic disciplines.

When searching for articles in library databases, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.

Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.

Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title or by ISSN . Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.

If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.

Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.

Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage -- Interlibrary Loan (in the Quick Links box) -- Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

Finding Books

TREXLER LIBRARY

Search the Trexler Library Catalog to find out what books, government publications, journals, videos, etc. the library owns.

GETTING THERE: Use the shortcut search box on the Library Homepage or Library Homepage -- Library Catalogs (in the Quick Links box) -- Trexler Library Catalog

OTHER LIBRARIES

WorldCat. To find books held by other libraries, search WorldCat, a database of over 60 million library records from around the country and world. Use the ILL button to request a book from another library. (ILL can take 10-14 days.)

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage -- Library Catalogs (in Quick Links box) -- Other Library Catalogs -- WorldCat

Finding Statistics

American Factfinder (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://factfinder.census.gov/
Easy-to-use census data/maps.

Bureau of Statistics, Treasury Department. 2008. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington: G.P.O.
Statistics Reference 317.3 U58s 2002
Note: Various other editions, dating back to 1886, are also available in the Government Documents section at C 3.134:886 - C 3.134:2004/2005.
Note: The most recent edition of the Statistical Abstract is available online at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/.

Carter, Susan B., et al., Eds. Historical Statistics of the United States. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006- .
Online or search the library catalog by title.

FedStats
http://www.fedstats.gov/
Gateway to statistics for U.S. Federal agencies

Kurian, George Thomas. 1994. Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2000: America Year by Year. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press.
Statistics Reference 317.3 K96d
Note: An updated version (published 2004) of this volume is on order.

LexisNexis Statistical
Note: This is a searchable database of statistical tables, accessible via the Library Homepage -- Articles A-Z (in the Find box).

Statistical Resources on the Web (University of Michigan Library, Documents Center)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html

U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/

Citing Your Sources

Style Guide for Papers (Sociology and Anthropology Department, Muhlenberg College)

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/soc-anth/policies/style.html

For help using ASA (American Sociological Association) Style, consult the following resources:

American Sociological Association. 1997. ASA style guide, 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Sociological Association.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.0663 A512a (at Reference Desk)

ASA Style Guide (California State University, Los Angeles)
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/bi/rsalina/asa.styleguide.html

Quick Style Guide (American Sociological Association)
http://www.asanet.org/page.ww?name=Quick+Style+Guide§ion=Sociology+Depts

For help using APA (American Psychological Association) Style, consult the following resources:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. Washington, DC: APA, 2010.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 P976m 2010 (at Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style, 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2010.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 C744r 2010 (at Reference Desk)

Trexler Library handout on using APA style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/apa_example.pdf