Sociology Research Pathfinder

There are many places find sources when doing research on sociology. This pathfinder is meant to be an introductory guide for finding sociology resources at the CSU Libraries. If you have questions or find that you would like further assistance please call the library reference desk at 706-562-1492 or use our online reference question form to get more information.

GIL Online Catalog

GIL is the place to go to find books owned by the CSU library. You can also use GIL to find out if CSU owns a particular journal or newspaper. However, GIL does not index the articles in those journals and newspapers. You must use GALILEO for that.

Finding Books

To start searching for books in GIL is enter any search term(s) in the "GIL Quick Search" box. You will get a list of books the library owns that deal with your topic(s). Remember, the more unique your search terms are, the better.

Once you have found a book or two that discusses your particular topic you can use the linked subject headings to do a more specific search.

The following guides contain more specific information on searching the GIL catalog:

• Do a Keyword Search in GIL
• Do a Title Search in GIL
• Do a Subject Search in GIL

netLibrary Online Books

Many of the newest books on sociology listed in GIL are from the GALILEO netLibrary electronic book collection. These books are available online rather than in the library itself. A typical netLibrary book listing in GIL will look like this:

The location "GALILEO netLibrary electronic book" and the call number ending in "Online Resources (netLibrary)" both indicate that this is an online book. You can access these books by entering the book record (click on the title) and then clicking on "An electronic book accessible through GALILEO; click here" at the bottom of the record. The link will look like this:

You can browse online books for 20 minutes at a time. If you would like to use a book longer than that you must check it out. In order to do this, you must create your personal netLibrary account. To do this, click on the "Create an account" link and follow the onscreen directions. You must create your netLibrary account using an on-campus computer. Once you have created your account, however, you should be able to use netLibrary from any Internet-connected computer.

GALILEO Databases

GALILEO is the place to go to find journal and newspaper articles. You can access GALILEO through the Internet. If you access GALILEO from off campus you will need the current password. Instructions for getting the GALILEO password. Please be sure to use either Internet Explorer versions 5.x-6.x or Netscape versions 4.7 or above to access GALILEO.

GALILEO has several databases which may be of use when doing research in sociology. The best databases to start with are:

Sociological Collection

Contains full-text articles for over 475 journals. Topics covered include social behavior, human tendencies, interaction, relationships, community development, culture, and social structure. Indexes articles as far back as 1984. Full-text available for articles back to 1990.

Sociological Abstracts

Indexes over 2,600 journals, conference papers, books, and dissertations. Includes international publications. Indexes articles back to 1963 and includes abstracts for articles beginning in 1974. Does not contain full-text articles.

Once you have found the citations for articles in periodicals, use GIL to determine if CSU owns the periodicals containing those articles. If CSU does not own the desired periodicals and the articles are not available online, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request and we will try to get the article for you. Remember, however, that the interlibrary loan process does take time. Plan on at least 5 business days turn-around time for all requests.

Online Journals

Online journals are also available through the JSTOR collection. JSTOR contains the contents of over 140 journals. One of JSTOR's greatest strengths is its coverage. Almost every title in JSTOR is covered back to issue number 1. For some titles, this means complete coverage back to the 1950's! The other great thing about JSTOR is that every article is available in online full-text. You do not need a special reader to access the full text of these articles.

Internet Resources

There are many ways to find information on the Internet. The most popular is to use a search engine. There are many search engines available for use. However, you must evaluate the information you find on the Internet to be sure it is appropriate to use as a research source. The main criteria for evaluating web pages are:

• Accuracy - Is the information reliable and error free? Are sources cited?
• Authority - Who is the author and what are his/her qualifications?
• Objectivity - Is the author's intent to persuade or make a sale? Is the information presented free of bias?
• Currency - Is the information up-to-date? Is the date clear? Are there various versions?
• Coverage - What is included? Are the topics explored in depth?

You can also use guides or directories to find information on the Internet. A couple to start with are:

• CSU Sociology Internet Resources Page
• GALILEO Social Sciences Internet Resource Page
• WWW Virtual Library: Sociology
• Internet Resources for Sociology (University of Delaware Library)

These directories have been compiled by librarians specifically to give students good Internet sites to use for research. Even through most sites included in these lists have been reviewed, you should still evaluate each site using the above criteria because web sites are always in flux and do sometimes degenerate in quality.