Sociology:
        A Guide to Information Resources

 

This resources guide identifies selected print and electronic resources in the field of Sociology. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Please consult a reference librarian for advice on what resources are best for your specific topic.

Biography

Dead Sociologists’ Society             http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~Iridener/DSS/DEADSOC.HTML                                                                                      Created by a faculty member at Pfeiffer University, this site provides brief biographical information on noted sociologists and their significant works.

Famous Sociologists        http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/sociosite/topics/sociologists.html                                                                                 Provides useful biographical information on more than eighty important sociologists, along with full-text of some of their writings and theories. Site maintained by the Department of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam.  

Dictionaries

The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: A User’s Guide to Sociological Language.
Allan G. Johnson                                                                                                          Available Online in NetLibrary
Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.                    
Online dictionary available through PITTCat provides concise definitions of basic terms in the field of sociology. Definitions provide a few references for additional reading. Also includes brief biographical sketches of some significant individuals in the discipline.

Dictionary of Sociology.                                                                                            Reference  HM 17 .F3 1970
Henry Pratt Fairchild, ed.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1970.
Provides concise definitions of terms pertinent to the field of Sociology.

Handbooks

Blackwell Companion to Social Theory. 2nd ed.                                                      Available Online in NetLibrary
Bryan S. Turner
Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.

Domestic Violence: A Reference Handbook.                                                           Reference HQ 809.3 .U5M385 1995
Margi Laird McCue
Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1995.

The Handbook of Sociology.                                                                                    HM 51 .H249 1988
Neil J. Smelser, ed.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1988.
Single volume resource that provides brief entries on topics such as methodology, aging, the family, race and other areas of interest to the discipline.

Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles.                                                  Reference HM251 .S6743 1996
E. Tory Higgins and Arie W. Kruglanski, eds.
New York: Guilford Press, 1996.

Encyclopedias

American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation.                                              Reference E184.A1A63448 1997
David Levinson and Melvin Ember, editors-in-chief.
New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1997.

Countries and Their Cultures. (4 vols.)                                                                       Reference GN 307 .C68 2001
Melvin Ember and Carol R. Ember
NewYork: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001.

Encyclopedia of Aging.  2nd ed.                                                                                  Reference HQ1061 .E53 1995
George L. Maddox, editor-in-chief.
New York: Springer Pub., 1995.

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. 2nd ed. (4 vols.)                                                  Reference HV6017 .E52 2002
Joshua Dressler, editor-in-chief.
New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.

Encyclopedia of Religion and Society.                                                                        Available Online in NetLibrary
William H. Swatos, Jr., ed.
Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1998.
A single volume encyclopedia compiling many of the social science perspectives of religion, such as aspects of anthropology, sociology and psychology. Primary focus is religion in North America.

Encyclopedia of Sociology.   2nd ed.  (5 vols.)                                                             Reference HM425 .E5 2000
Edgar F. Borgatta, editor-in-chief.
New York: Macmillan USA, 2000.
A five volume encyclopedia with many useful entries, on a variety of topics related to the field of Sociology, such as theories, research methods, and sub-fields within Sociology. Entries include a list of references for further reading.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups.                                                   Reference E184 .A1H35
Stephan Thernstrom, ed.
Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1980.

International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family. 2nd ed. (4 vols.)                        Reference HQ 9 .E52 2003
New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003.                                                                  
A four volume encyclopedia offering brief entries on many pertinent topics related to marriage and the family.

Survey of Social Science. Sociology Series. (5 vols.)                                                    Reference HM 17 .S86 1994
Frank N. Magill, ed.
Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1994.
This is a five-volume reference tool that provides over 300 entries on topics relevant to the field of Sociology. Some entries are lengthy and can offer a good introduction to the study of a topic. Each entry includes a list of references for further reading.

Violence in America: An Encyclopedia.  (3 vols.)                                                         Reference HN 90 .V5V5474 1999
Ronald Gottesman, editor in chief
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1999.

Women’s Studies Encyclopedia.                                                                                    Reference HQ 1115 .W645 1999
Helen Tierney, ed.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Useful three-volume encyclopedia which provides important information on feminist research from perspective of numerous disciplines. Each volume includes extensive bibliography of other resources on the topic.

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. (4 vols.)                                     Reference GN333 .W67 1998
Timothy L. Gall, ed.                                                                
Detroit: Gale, 1998.
This is a very useful resource for information on daily life and cultures around the world. Arranged by country in alphabetical order.

Indexes

Ageline                                                                                                                           Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
A database produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). It offers over 65,000 abstracts of research reports, journal articles, videos and books related to life at age 50 and above. Some full-text links are also provided.

Ethnic Newswatch                                                                                                         Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This database index provides a full-text collection of newspapers, journals and magazines from the ethnic and minority press. Coverage is from 1990 to present.

GenderWatch                                                                                                                 Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This full-text database focuses on impact gender has across various subject areas. Indexes publications including scholarly journals, magazines, books, newspapers, conference proceedings and special reports from government and non-government agencies. Coverage is from 1970 to present.

Sociological Abstracts                                                                                                    Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This is a core index for the field of sociology. Covers original research, reviews, books, case studies, conference papers and dissertations. It is the electronic version of the print Sociological Abstracts. Indexes articles pertinent to the discipline from approximately 2000 journals and other serial publications. Provides citations with abstracts. Coverage is from 1974 to present.

Statistical (LEXIS-NEXIS)                                                                                              Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This is an electronic database combining three different print statistical indexes: American Statistics Index, Statistical Reference Index, and Index to International Statistics. Indexes and provides links to full-text of selected publications.

Women and Social Movements in the United States                                                       Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This is an excellent resource for primary documents full-text related to women and social movements in U.S. history. It also includes lesson plans for teachers.

Women’s Resources International                                                                                   Locate in Digital Library under Databases A-Z
This is an excellent resource for finding articles on women’s issues or topics from the feminist perspective. Provides citations with some abstracts to articles from more than 500 periodicals and some books. Coverage is from 1972 to present.

Statistics

County and City Data Book.                                                                  http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. Annual.

Demographic Yearbook. Annuaire Demographique.                                                          Reference HA17 .D45
New York: Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations.
Provides demographic and vital statistics information for the world. Arrangement in tables.

Ethnic Cultures of the World: A Statistical Reference.                                                      Reference GN495.4 .P37 1997
Philip M. Parker
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity.    3rd ed.                                                                                  Reference E184 .A1R78 2000
New Strategist editors
Ithaca, NY: New Strategist Publications, 2000.

Social Trends & Indicators USA.  (4 vols.)                                                                           Reference HN 60 .S62 2003
Arsen J. Darnay, ed.
Detroit, MI: Thomson Gale, 2003.

Statistical Abstract of the United States.                                                                             Reference HA 202
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. Annual.
Recent years are also available electronically at:
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-02.html

Statistical Handbook on Adolescents in America.                                                              Reference HQ 796 .S8237 1996
Bruce A. Chadwick and Tim B. Heaton.eds.
Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1996.

Statistical Handbook on Aging Americans.                                                                        Reference HQ 1064 .U5S695 1994
Frank L. Schick and Renee Schick, eds.
Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1994.

Statistical Handbook on Consumption and Wealth in the United States.                         Reference HC110.C6S73 1999
Chandrika Kaul and Valerie Tomaselli-Moschovitis, eds.         
Phoenix,AZ: Oryx Press, 1999.

Statistical Handbook on Women in America.                                                                      Reference HQ1420 .T34 1996
2nd edition  Cynthia M. Taeuber,ed.
Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1996.

Statistical Record of Hispanic Americans.                                                                          Reference E 184 .S75S74 1993
Marlita A. Reddy, ed.
Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.

Statistical Record of Native North Americans.                                                                   Reference E 98 .P76S73 1993
Marlita A. Reddy, ed.
Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.

Additional Web Resources

American Sociological Association.                                                                    http://www.asanet.org/
Includes online newsletter Footnotes, which describes results of sociological research.

CultureGrams World Edition                                                                               http://online.culturegrams.com/world/index.php
Some free information on cultures around the world. The print counterpart in reference is more thorough in its coverage.

Forced Migration Online.                                                                                      http://www.forcedmigration.org/
Site maintained by Refugee Studies Centre (University of Oxford). Provides access to a wealth of information on the situation and issues of forced migrants worldwide.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service.                                                     http://www.ncjrs.org/
Web site includes statistics, reports and other links relevant to the field of criminal justice. Maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.                                                        http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/
An archives for public opinion information gathered from surveys conducted in the United States, Latin America and other regions around the world. Also includes information on conducting polls and their uses.

Social Movements & Culture.                                                                              http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~amerstu/smc/smchomefr.html
Provides information and links to the study of social movements in the United States. Emphasizes more recent movements, but does include materials on early movements in the nation’s history.

A Sociology Timeline from 1600.                                                                        http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/timeline.html
Provides a timeline of events and individuals important to the field of sociology. Links also offer biographical information to some important individuals and a few electronic texts relevant to sociology.

Sociology Internet Resources.                                                                             http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/socialsci/socres.html
Provides a compilation of many useful web sites in the field of Sociology, divided into sub-fields. Maintained by Department of Social Sciences at Western Connecticut State University.

The SocioWeb.                                                                                                      http://www.socioweb.com/~markbl/socioweb/
A compilation of useful links to sociological resources on the Internet. Searchable by keyword, category or type of material.

Websites of Interest to Sociologists.                                                                     http://www.luc.edu/depts/sociology/soclinks.html
Site maintained by the Department of Sociology, Loyola University Chicago. Provides a compilation of useful links for sociologists, arranged by subdivisions and areas of interest within the field.

Related Library Subject Guide:  

Anthropology: A Guide to Information Resources.

 

 

 

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