Best Bets
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Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest) (1952+) This link opens in a new windowSociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Includes information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serials publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations.
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Sociology Collection (ProQuest) (1952+) This link opens in a new windowThis collection provides access to Sociological Abstracts in combination with other databases covering the international literature in sociology and social services, along with related fields. Together, it provides abstracts, indexing and full-text coverage of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, and more, including full-text from hundreds of leading sociology journals.
- Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA) (1987+)
- Sociological Abstracts (1952+)
- Social Services Abstracts (1979+)
- Sociology Database (1985+)
Sociology Databases
General Databases
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Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
This multi-disciplinary database provides active full text for more than 3,100 journals, including active full text for nearly 2,750 peer-reviewed journals.
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Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) This link opens in a new window
Provides citation indexing of top high-impact journals with powerful tools such as cited reference searching and Author Finder, 254 categories thoroughly cover the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
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Social Science Database (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window"ProQuest Social Science Journals is a definitive resource for those who need access to a variety of scientific journals. The database includes over 1000 titles, with the majority available in full text. It covers core disciplines across the social sciences including sociology, social work, anthropology, politics and other areas, featuring journals from over 50 countries, facilitating multidisciplinary research and providing researchers with a variety of perspectives."
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JSTOR This link opens in a new windowFull text of research journals and eBooks from numerous publishers. For most of the journal content, we can access all but the 3 to 5 most recent years of the journal.
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Project MUSE (Johns Hopkins University) This link opens in a new windowa unique collaboration between libraries and publishers providing 100% full-text, affordable and user-friendly online access to over 300+ high quality humanities and social sciences journals from over 60 scholarly publishers.
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Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new windowSage Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. The site is designed to guide users to the content they need to learn a little or a lot about their method. The Methods Map can help those less familiar with research methods to find the best technique to use in their research. Built upon Sage’s legacy of methods publishing, Sage Research Methods is the essential online tool for researchers.Full text of book, journal, and reference content to aid as students research design methodologies, understand and select methods, conduct research, and write findings.
Includes tools such as:
- Project Planner: find step-by-step guidance to complete your research project
- Which Stats Test: answer questions to see which statistical method is best for your data
Includes the complete series of:
- Little Green Books -- Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences
- Little Blue Books -- Qualitative Research Methods -
Social Science Research Network (SSRN) This link opens in a new window"is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences"
Topical Databases
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ABI/INFORM Collection (ProQuest) (1971+) This link opens in a new windowThe most comprehensive ABI/INFORM™ database, this comprises ABI/INFORM Global, ABI/INFORM Trade and Industry, and ABI/INFORM Dateline. The database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data. Its international coverage gives researchers a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world
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Abstracts in Social Gerontology (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Abstracts in Social Gerontology includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to social gerontology, including the psychology of aging, elder abuse, society and the elderly, and other key areas of relevance to the discipline. The index contains more than 110,000 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources.
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CINAHL Ultimate (EBSCOhost) (1937+) This link opens in a new windowCINAHL Ultimate provides 1,815 active full-text journals and covers over 50 nursing specialties. Additionally, it features full-text quick lessons, evidence-based care sheets, continuing education modules, nursing instructional videos, and more. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the CINAHL index, with no embargo. Additionally, it features full-text quick lessons, evidence-based care sheets, continuing education modules, nursing instructional videos, and more.
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Criminal Justice Abstracts (EBSCOhost) (1910+) This link opens in a new windowCriminal Justice Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to criminal justice and criminology. Criminal Justice Abstracts contains more than 400,000 records selected from the most important sources within the discipline. Subject areas covered include: criminology; criminal justice; criminal law and procedure; corrections and prisons; police and policing; criminal investigation; forensic sciences and investigation.
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Family Studies Abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowFamily Studies Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to family studies, including marriage, divorce, family therapy, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains more than 53,500 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources within the discipline.
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GenderWatch (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowa database of unique and diverse publications that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas.
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MEDLINE (EBSCOhost) (1946+) This link opens in a new windowMEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. Created by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) indexing with tree, tree hierarchy, subheadings and explosion capabilities to search citations from over 5,400 current biomedical journals.
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Social Work Abstracts (EBSCOhost) (1965+) This link opens in a new windowSocial Work Abstracts offers extensive coverage of more than 450 social work and human services journals dating back to 1965. Produced by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the database provides citations and abstracts dealing with all aspects of the social work field, including theory and practice, areas of service and social issues and problems.
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Urban Studies Abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowUrban Studies Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to urban studies, including urban affairs, community development, urban history, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains more than 51,600 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources within the discipline.
Great Databases but...
Below are databases direct from journal publishers. They contain a lot of articles in Sociology and the Social Sciences, but DO NOT begin your search here. The search interface for these articles is very basic. You need to have a good set of keywords or search terms to use before attempting to use these databases.
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Emerald Insight Journals and eBooks This link opens in a new windowOnline journals and eBooks from Emerald which publishes in a broad range of disciplines.
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Oxford Academic This link opens in a new windowOxford Academic access to scholarly and academic books and journals. It combines the full book and article content from Oxford Journals, Florida Scholarship Online, Oxford Scholarship Online, and Oxford Handbooks Online.
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Oxford Journals Online (OUP) (1827+) This link opens in a new windowSelective full text (1996+) of Oxford University Press journals covering a variety of disciplines:
-- Arts & Humanities -- Law -- Medicine & Health -- Science & Mathematics -- Social Sciences -
Science Direct (1997+) This link opens in a new windowFull text scientific, technical and medical research journals, eBooks, Reference works, handbooks and book series published by Elsevier.
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Social Sciences & Humanities (SAGE Journals) This link opens in a new windowBrowse journals by discipline: Anthropology & Archaeology; Communication & Media Studies; Criminology & Criminal Justice; Cultural Studies; Economics & Development; Education; Ethnic Studies; Family Studies; Gender Studies; Geography; Gerontology & Aging; Group Studies; History; Information Science; Interpersonal Violence; Language & Linguistics; Law; Management & Organization Studies; Marketing & Hospitality; Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution; Philosophy; Politics & International Relations; Psychoanalysis; Psychology & Counseling; Public Administration; Regional Studies; Research Methods & Evaluation; Science & Society Studies; Social Work & Social Policy; Sociology; Special Education; Theology & Biblical Studies; Urban Studies & Planning
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Springer Nature Link This link opens in a new windowProviding researchers with access to millions of scientific documents from journals, books, series, protocols and reference works.
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Taylor & Francis Journals (T&F) This link opens in a new windowa one-stop site hosting international journals published by Taylor & Francis and Routledge
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Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window-Now linking to Wiley Online Homepage. For Publications, click link for Journals, Reference Works, or Online Books below search box
-Full text of Wiley's scholarly journals and many eBooks covering a variety of disciplines.
-See also Wiley-IEEE eBooks
Grey Literature
Grey literature is scholarly information developed by scholars, non-profit organizations, think-tanks, government agencies etc. and distributed outside the traditional academic or commercial publishing ecosystem. This valuable research information often comes in the form of reports, white papers, working papers, or conference publications, just to list a few examples.
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Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI) This link opens in a new windowOn the main search screen for Web of Science Core Collection, change "Editions: All" to "Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science."
"Conference Proceedings Citation Index helps researchers access the published literature from ... conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions worldwide." -
Dimensions This link opens in a new window"Dimensions contains more than 100 million publications, ranging from articles published in scholarly journals, books and book chapters, to preprints and conference proceedings. All publications are contextualized with linked data sets, funding, publications, patents, clinical trials, and policy documents. You can also view associated categories, funders, institutions, and researcher profiles."
Includes Open Access filter
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IssueLabGathers, indexes, and shares the collective intelligence of the social sector... [providing] free access to thousands of case studies, evaluations, white papers, and issue briefs addressing some of the world's most pressing social problems."
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National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) (1970+) This link opens in a new windowan information clearinghouse for people around the U.S. and the world involved with research, policy, and practice related to criminal and juvenile justice, and drug control.
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NGO SearchNGO Search is a Google Custom Search that searches across hundreds non-governmental organization (NGO) websites.
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OpenGrey: System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe This link opens in a new window"System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe, is your open access to 700.000 bibliographical references of grey literature (paper) produced in Europe and allows you to export records and locate the documents."
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PAIS Index (ProQuest) (1915+) This link opens in a new windowcontains references to more than 553,300 journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, Internet material, & more.
The print index provides coverage for 1915-1974 - Main Library Reference H1.P8 -
PapersFirst (FirstSearch) (1993+) This link opens in a new windowOCLC index of papers presented at conferences worldwide; covers every published congress, symposium, conference, exposition, workshop and meeting received by The British Library Document Supply Centre.
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Policy File Index This link opens in a new window"access to U.S. foreign and domestic policy papers and gray literature, PolicyFile is updated weekly with abstracts and links to the latest reports, papers, and documents from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies."
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PolicyArchiveComprehensive digital library of public policy research containing over 30,000 documents
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ProceedingsFirst (FirstSearch) This link opens in a new windowCovers every published congress, symposium, conference, exposition, workshop and meeting received by The British Library Document Supply Centre.
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Social & Behavioral Sciences Commons (Digital Commons) This link opens in a new window "brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide." Sub-Disciplines include: Sociology -- Library & Information Science -- Public Affairs, Public Policy & Public Administration -- Communication -- Economics -- Psychology -- Political Science -- International & Area Studies -- Legal Studies -- Anthropology -- Urban Studies & Planning -- Social Work -- Agricultural & Resource Economics -- Science & Technology Studies -- Geography -- Linguistics -- Sports Studies -- Social Statistics -- Other Social & Behavioral Sciences
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Social Science Research Network (SSRN) This link opens in a new window"is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences"
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WorldCat Dissertations & Theses (FirstSearch) This link opens in a new windowAll dissertations, theses and published material based on theses cataloged by OCLC members, including all subjects.
Databases by content type
See the expanded list of sociology databases:
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