LibGuides: Sociology: Home

Subject Librarian for Sociology, Subject Librarian for Copyright, and Head/Preservation Department

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
This database indexes both core and specialized journals (2,600) 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
Primary database for sociology, covering journal articles, book reviews, abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations and conference papers.
Social Sciences Full Text
Provide access to an assortment of the most important English-language social science journals. Social Science Full Text includes 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 Science Index and Abstracts

Indexing and abstracting database covering health, social service, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relation and education.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is the world's largest archive of computerized social science data. Searchable by broad subject category or keyword. Most files are freely available to download and is an itegral part of the infrastructure of social science research. In order to download data, first-time UAlbany users must create a MyData account from a UAlbany computer. Once you have created an account that identifies you with UAlbany, you may access ICPSR data from off-campus and social media accounts.

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

Sage Research Methods provides a comprehensive array of resources related to quantitative and qualitative social science research methodologies. Included in this database are reference materials, journal articles, books, handbooks, and video which describe and explain social science research methods.

Research Guides