LibGuides: Sociology: Articles + Databases

Articles

Journals are like magazines except the articles are written by researchers. Peer-reviewed journals have articles checked for accuracy and reliability by other scholars and experts in the field.

Databases provide access to articles that are unavailable on the open Internet. Some databases only include descriptions (citations) of articles (indexing database) with links to other databases or interlibrary loan forms, and other databases contain links to the full text of the article.

Strategies for finding articles:

Use OCtopus for a 'Google-like' experience
Use a specific database, such as SocINDEX, that will only contain information related to your subject area.
Search within a relevant journal. For example, if you want Canadian sources, searching within a journal such as, "Canadian Social Trends", would help focus a search. Also use this search when looking for an article from a citation.

Why use databases?

The open Internet only holds a small percentage of the information stored online. Using Library sources gives you access to private information, such as:

Book content
Original, primary, and historical documents
Subscribed content
Copyright protected material

Articles from academic journals, newspapers, magazines, and other publications can be found in indexes and databases. OC Library subscribes to more than 100 article databases that are not available on the free web.

SocINDEX This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive and high quality sociology research database that provides access to abstracts and citations.
Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database (CBCA) This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive Canadian database covering current events, policy, business, social issues, science, the arts, and Canadian academic information. Provides full text, back to 1985. Approx. 2/3 titles included are published in Canada, making a good starting point for Canadian research.
Search Tips!
Check "Scholarly Journals" to eliminate popular magazines and newspapers from your search
Wildcards: Use * (asterisk) for truncation and ? (question mark) to replace a single character.
Click "Access OC" to locate articles that do not indicate full text availability.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text collection of 400+ scholarly journals in all disciplines. For most journals, coverage begins with the first issue published (as far back as 1665) and ends 3 to 5 years back from the present. Searching JSTOR will often retrieve older articles not found by other sources.
Provides access to archival and current full-text issues of more than 1,400 scholarly journals across more than 50 academic disciplines.
Search tips!
To increase precision, use Advanced and/or Expert search modes
By default, JSTOR looks for your search terms in the entire article. To reduce results, restrict your search to words in the Title and/or Author and/or Abstract as appropriate.
To restrict your search to research articles, check the box next to "Article" in the list of types.
JSTOR supports the use of wildcards for several different types of truncation. ? (question mark) replaces a single character, * (asterisk) replaces any number of characters, and & (ampersand) searches for singular and plural forms of a word, regardless of the number of characters.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Provides access to full text scholarly journals, encompassing life sciences, business, health, physical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
OC Library provides access to the Wiley-Blackwell Journals Full Collection, as well as the following e-book titles:
Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology
Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology
eLS (formerly Encyclopedia of Life Sciences)
eMagRes (previously Encyclopedia of Magnetic Resonance)
Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science
Encyclopedia of Special Education
Handbook of High-resolution Spectroscopy
The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media
Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements
Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is a multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for more than 4,650 journals, including more than 3,900 peer-reviewed titles. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for over 8,450 journals. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study, including computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, and more.
In some cases, certain publishers do not grant certain rights specific to their content. Check content for any restrictions.

License definitions & additional information

Permission to include content in coursepacks is NOT included under the terms of this license.

CREATE PERSISTENT LINKS to individual articles for access by Authorized Users for Permitted Uses under this Agreement, from within secure authentication environments. ELECTRONIC RESERVES / VIRTUAL LEARNING: Members and Authorized Users may incorporate parts of the Licensed Material in resource lists and in any other material (including but not limited to multi-media works) to be used in the course of instruction and/or in virtual and managed environments (including but not limited to virtual learning environments, managed learning environments, virtual research environments and library environments) hosted on a Secure Network (only accessible to Authorized Users by Secure Authentication). Each item shall carry appropriate acknowledgment of the source, listing title and copyright owner.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN by paper or electronic means, a single copy of an individual document within the guidelines of traditional interlibrary loan practices and applicable copyright laws.

Find specific electronic journals related to Sociology.

Browse sociology e-journal titles to find articles

Use information from a citation to locate a specific article (such as from a reference list)

Use article reference lists to find other similar articles

Use database limiters, such as date or resource type, to get fewer, more focused search results

Journals (Scholarly/Academic/Peer-Reviewed)

Value & Use	Reports of original research (theoretical, experimental or applied) with in-depth analysis of subject
Authorship	Scholars, academics, researchers - Names, credentials, and contact information provided
Sources	All sources cited in bibliographies, footnotes etc.

Magazines (Popular)

Value & Use	General information on current topics; commentary on political & social issues; entertainment
Authorship	Wide variety: specialists, journalists, staff and free-lance writers; name & credentials sometimes provided
Sources	Original sources usually obscure, no citations given

Professional, Trade & Industry Magazines

Value & Use	Current trends, theoretical & ethical issues, news & events in particular field, industry or profession - Often contain product, company & biographical information
Authorship	Practioners or journalists with subject expertise
Sources	Sources often cited but not always in full

Newspapers

Value & Use	Local and regional focus on current events and news often with some analysis & opinion
Authorship	Journalists - Name sometimes given, rarely with credentials
Sources	Sources sometimes cited but rarely in full

Sociology

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Highlighted E-Journals