This guide is designed to introduce you to available resources related to Sociology and Social Problems.
Use the tabs on this guide to learn more about where you can find a variety of resources such as scholarly articles, books, data (quantitative & qualitative), and reports for your own projects!
Where to start?
Start with what interests you most! Having a real interest in the topic you're researching will motivate you to work hard on something you're proud of. Create a list of as many interesting topics (related to the class subject, of course) as you can think of. There are no bad ideas at this stage.
If you're at a loss for what to write about, try looking at the following resources.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia articles provide a broad but condensed overview on a topic and are written by subject experts. They can assist you with learning about your topic, selecting or narrowing down your topic, brainstorming search terms and where to find additional credible resources.
Here is an example: Encyclopedia of Social Problems . We also subscribe to the database Credo which contains hundreds of general and subject specific encyclopedias.
Check out the Finding Books tab on this guide for examples of encyclopedias and handbooks from our collection.
Opposing Viewpoints
Opposing Viewpoints in Context is an online resource covering today's hottest social issues, e.g. Immigration, Cyberbullying, Climate Change, Health Care, Gender Identity, and much more. The goal of this series is to promote a thorough understanding of an issue by exposing the reader to strong arguments, Pro and Con. You don't want to end your research here, though use this resource as a place to explore and learn more about your topic. Use the search box or browse through their list of topics.
Search the database Credo to familiarize yourself with and explore your topic. Credo Reference gives you access to over 600 reputable encyclopedias online. Short encyclopedia articles can help you to quickly identify concepts, topics, issues, and keywords for your topic. Credo is a scholarly version of Wikipedia and comes with properly formatted citations!
Search 650+ titles including encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, & reference handbooks covering the arts, business, health, history, literature, math, religion, etc. Over 1,000 videos, 300,000 art images, and thousands of images for other subjects.
