Gleeson Library: Sociology: Reference Sources and Background Information

Articles

Journal and Magazine Articles

SocINDEX with Full Text
SocINDEX with Full Text is the world's most comprehensive and highest quality sociology research database. The database features more than 2.1 million records with subject headings from a 20,000+ term sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers.
SocINDEX with Full Text contains full text for more than 860 journals dating back to 1908. This database also includes full text for more than 830 books and monographs, and full text for over 16,800 conference papers.

On-Campus Link
Fusion
Fusion allows you to search, in one place, the majority of the library’s books, articles, videos, etc. It includes all the materials in our library catalog Ignacio, as well as the content of the majority of our many databases.
Questions and Answers:

Does Fusion include everything the library has?
No, but it includes so much of what the library has that it will almost always be a good place to start a search.

When would Fusion not make sense as the first place to search?
Some examples:
- If you’re interested in finding only books, or a specific book title, then our library catalog Ignacio might be a more appropriate place to begin.
- If you’re looking specifically for statistical data, or encyclopedia/dictionary entries, or images, it would be better to use databases devoted to those specific types of information.
- If you're looking for a specific Journal title, you should use our Journal Finder.
- I’m very proficient using the subject-specific databases in my field. Is there any reason I should use Fusion?
- Because Fusion will have such broad coverage, it may locate relevant materials published in other fields that you wouldn’t otherwise find in a subject-specific database.
So then why would I want to choose a subject-specific database anymore—can I just use Fusion instead?
Fusion is not replacing any of our subject-specific databases. These databases offer valuable advanced searching capabilities tailored to their subject areas.

On-Campus Link
JSTOR
Full text of older issues of journals. Access includes Arts & Sciences I-XV, Business I Collection, Health & General Sciences Collection, and the Life Sciences Collection.
On-Campus Link
Google Scholar
Articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Click "more" below to customize Google Scholar to access USF library journal subscriptions.
Customize Google Scholar to provide full-text links to journal articles available through Gleeson Library subscriptions:

If you are on campus, Google Scholar should recognize you as a USF user and link you to the full text.

If you are working from an off-campus location, you will need to manually activate USF's Full Text Finder in Google Scholar Library Links:

1. Go to the Google Scholar search page.
2. In the upper left corner of the page, press the button made of three horizontal lines to open a new menu.
3. Click "Settings."
4. Select "Library links" and search for "University of San Francisco."
5. Check "University of San Francisco – Full Text Finder" in the search results, then click Save.

When you search Google Scholar, you should now see "Full Text Finder" links to the right of your results. Click on these links to check if USF has access to your article.
Scopus
Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivering a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities, Scopus features smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research.
Comprehensive: Scopus has twice as many titles and over 30% more publishers listed than any other abstract and index (A&I) database, with interdisciplinary content that covers the research spectrum. Timely updates from thousands of peer-reviewed journals, preliminary findings from millions of conference papers, and the thorough analysis in an expanding collection of books ensure you have the most up-to-date and highest quality interdisciplinary content available.

On-Campus Link
Chicano Database
Chicano Database includes over 67,000 records from more than 2,400 journals and other resources including newspapers, books and book chapters. The database provides coverage dating back to the 1960s and selective indexing dating back to the early 1900s. Subject coverage includes art, bilingual education, education, labor, literature, mental health, law, poetry, politics and sociology.
On Campus Link
NCJRS: National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Established in 1972, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded resource offering justice and drug-related information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.
Annual Reviews
Each year, Annual Reviews critically reviews the most significant primary research literature to guide researchers to the principal contributions of their field and help them keep up to date in their area of research. Each article is its own search engine, providing a gateway to the essential primary research literature referenced within each topic.
Gleeson Library subscribes to the following disciplines:

Anthropology
Biochemistry
Cell & Developmental Biology
Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
Entomology
Environment and Resources
Genetics
Genomics and Human Genetics
Immunology
Marine Science
Medicine
Microbiology
Neuroscience
Nutrition
Physical Chemistry
Political Science
Psychology
Public Health
Sociology

On Campus Link

News

Access World News
Through nearly 7000 news sources, find diverse global, local, regional, and national perspectives on topics related to controversial issues, the environment, health, education, science, the arts, literature, business, economics, criminal justice, and more.
Sources include a variety of current and retrospective news media: newspapers, newswires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, periodicals, and web-only content.

Also included are the following Access Modules: Business News, U.S. Newswires, Military, Government, and Defense, and Acceda Noticias. Content is easily searched and sorted through an intuitive, map-based interface.

Access World News includes many California News Sources including the current San Francisco Chronicle.

On Campus Link
Nexis Uni
Replaces LexisNexis Academic.

More than 15,000 news, business, and legal sources from LexisNexis—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.
National and regional newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, international news, and non-English language sources.

U.S. Federal and state case law, codes, regulations, legal news, law reviews, and international legal information.

Shepard’s Citations for all U.S. Supreme Court cases back to 1789.

Business news journals, company financial information, SEC filings and reports, and industry and market news.

On Campus Link
Ethnic NewsWatch
Ethnic NewsWatch covers 1990 to present and includes newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. The publications offer both national and regional coverage
Ethnic NewsWatch is the only current database devoted to presenting multi-ethnic and multi-cultural publications in one resource. Coverage begins in 1990 and is updated daily with new content. Many of the titles are not found in any other aggregated resource.

Books and Videos

Ignacio: Library Catalog
The library catalog lets you search across the holdings of Gleeson Library and Zief Law Library, including books, videos, and other materials.

Reference Sources and Background Information

Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology Online
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology is the reference for students, researchers, librarians, and academics in the field. This ground-breaking project brings together specially commissioned entries written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers. With over 1800 entries / 3.5 million words it will define the discipline of sociology for years to come.
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology provides:

Clear, concise, expert definitions and explanations of the key concepts written by leading scholars in the field
An essential reference for expert and newcomer alike, with entries ranging from short definitions of key terms to extended explorations of major topics
Materials that have historically defined the discipline, but also more recent developments, significantly updating the store of sociological knowledge
Introductions to sociological theories and research that have developed outside of the United States and Western Europe
Sophisticated cross-referencing and search facilities
A timeline, lexicon by subject area, and extensive bibliographies
Regular updates of new and revised entries and features

On Campus Link
Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Comprising over 500 entries on the essential topics and informed by the latest theory and research, this innovative reference resource offers a state-of-the-art survey of the fields of criminology and criminal justice. It combines this breadth of coverage with the authority and international perspective of an experienced editorial team, creating a definitive reference resource for students, scholars, and professionals.
On-Campus Link
SAGE Knowledge
More than 300 encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
On Campus Link
Gale eBooks
A great place to begin your research, Gale eBooks offers thousands of authoritative articles published in academic encyclopedias, and written by subject experts. Gale eBooks provides information you can not only trust, but cite in a paper as well. Formerly called GVRL: Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Oxford African American Studies Center
The Oxford African American Studies Center combines the authority of carefully edited reference works with sophisticated technology to create the most comprehensive collection of scholarship available online to focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture.
The Oxford African American Studies Center provides students, scholars and librarians with more than 10,000 articles by top scholars in the field.

The core content includes:

Africana
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
Black Women in America, Second Edition
African American National Biography
Dictionary of African Biography
The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought

In addition to the full-text of these works, the Center draws on other key resources from Oxford's reference program, including the Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature, the Oxford Companion to Black British History, and selected articles from other major reference titles. Over 2,500 images, more than 450 primary sources with specially written commentaries, and nearly 200 maps have been collected to enhance this reference content. More than 150 charts and tables offer information on everything from demographics to government and politics to business and labor to education and the arts.

A key feature of the Oxford African American Studies Center site is the ongoing editorial program. The site continues to grow with new and updated content added on a regular basis, including the latest biographies from the African American National Biography project and additional primary documents with commentary.

The Oxford African American Studies Center has been created with the latest in online technology to give users a robust and unique research experience. Precise search and browse capabilities allow users to refine their results by specific eras and subject categories. Users can choose to view biographies, subject entries, primary sources, images, maps, or charts and tables when searching or browsing. The site's thematic timelines and Learning Center resources also provide users with powerful tools for navigating the content. Context-sensitive Help pages are available throughout the site to guide users through the features and functionality.

Editor in Chief

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
Read Dr. Gates's Letter from the Editor

On-Campus Link
Oxford Bibliographies: Sociology
An annotated bibliography of the best scholarship in the discipline.
On Campus Link
Oxford Bibliographies: Childhood Studies
An annotated bibliography of the best scholarship in the discipline.
On Campus Link
Oxford Bibliographies: Criminology
An annotated bibliography of the best scholarship in the discipline.
On Campus Link
Oxford Bibliographies: Anthropology
An annotated bibliography of the best scholarship in the discipline.
On Campus Link

Statistics

https://library.usfca.edu/statistics-and-data

Citing Sources

There are two options for citing sources in American Sociological Association (ASA) style. See below for more details on each option.

Cite by Hand

Basic guidelines and examples for electronic references
References, ASA Style (Purdue OWL)
In-text Citations ASA Style (Purdue OWL)
American Sociological Review. See bibliographies of current articles in this journal for examples of ASA style

American Sociological Association Style Guide
Call Number: HM569 .A54 2019
Publication Date: 2019

Citation Management Tools

If you have 10 or more citations or a few citations you plan to use again, you may consider using a citation management tool such as RefWorks, so you can use & re-use them as needed (and have some extra options for organizing them and managing PDFs).

RefWorks
RefWorks allows users to create personal databases to manage, store, and share the information citations/references. Users can automatically insert references from their database into their papers and generate formatted bibliographies and manuscripts in seconds. Create an account using your USF email address.. See the RefWorks User Guide for tips.