LibGuides: Sociology: Getting Started

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The resources on this page are Preus-Certified as great places to start for research in Sociology.

Additional and more advanced resources are available from other tabs of this guide.

Library Research

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Start with Reference

Reference sources will help you narrow your research focus and will uncover keywords and concepts to use in your search.

Below is a representative list of print Reference sources (found on the main floor of the library) and links to online Reference sources.

Print Reference Sources

Specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, and subject bibliographies can be helpful in choosing and narrowing a topic. Reading in the specialized reference materials introduces background information and can provide key concepts or keywords to use in your search.

Social Change in America : The hisotrical handbook
Call Number: Ref HA214 .S746 2006 (also available online)

Narrative description and statistical tables in this volume explore social change in America in recent decades. Twelve chapters cover issues relating to social change, including population, families and households, labor force, housing, education, health, and more.
Key Sociological Thinkers by Rob Stones (Editor)
Call Number: Ref HM 51 .K43 2008
Encyclopedia of Sociology
Call Number: Ref HM 425 .E5 2000 (Also available online)

The 2nd edition of the encyclopedia provides in depth entries on a variety of topics and concepts in Sociology.
21st Century Sociology by Clifton D. Bryant (Editor); Dennis L. Peck (Editor)
Call Number: Ref HM 585 .A13 2007

Subject Guide

Lindy Moeller

Email Me

Contact:

563-387-1498

moellind@luther.edu

Online Reference Sources

Dictionary of Sociology
From Oxford Reference Online

Gale Virtual Reference Library
A collection of over 3,000 reference works, covering all disciplines.
Credo Reference
An online collection of over 600 full-text reference works, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and more.

Through Credo Reference people worldwide can gain access to any of a possible 3,264,948 entries, from 452 titles and 64 publishers. Its full-text, aggregated content covers every major subject from the world’s best publishers of reference.
Oxford Reference Online
This online source provides access to subject and language reference works from Oxford University Press

Over 200 titles published by Oxford University Press are included in this online source. In addition to text, access is provided to maps and illustrations, timelines, web sites, and bibliographies.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Over 72,000 articles from the encyclopedia and Britannica Book of the Year. Over 10,000 illustrations, including photographs, drawings, maps, flags and more. Includes Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary with over 75,000 definitions and pronunciation guides. Continuously revised.