LibGuides: Sociology: Home

Subject Description

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies and how people interact within these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious traditions; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture. (21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology, 2014)

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Key Resources

The links below will take you to "core" databases. You can find more information related to sociological studies by exploring other Sociology KEY DATABASES.

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)
Find article citations and abstracts in core and specialized journals and books in the social sciences. Core disciplines covered are anthropology, economics, political science and sociology, with additional coverage in other social science fields. Thirty percent of the records are in languages other than English.
Sociological Abstracts
Find abstracting and indexing of sociology, covering journal articles, book reviews, abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations and conference papers.
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Find full-text articles from hundreds of journals, covering the latest concepts, theories and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.

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Additional Resources to Explore

Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)
Find citations and abstracts covering health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations, and education.
ICPSR: Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social Research
Find and download data sets and documentation in sociology, political science, education, economics, and other areas. Users may search for data, but will need to create an account to download data.
PolicyMap
PolicyMap is a fully web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) and mapping product. Data includes demographics, home sale statistics, health data, mortgage trends, school performance scores and labor data like unemployment, crime statistics and city crime rates. A complete list of GIS data available can be found in their data directory.
Sage Research Methods
Find journal articles, books, handbooks, videos, encyclopedias, and dictionaries and use tools to explore research methods. A comprehensive array of resources related to quantitative and qualitative social science research methodologies.