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   SUBJECT RESEARCH GUIDE |
Many of the library's resources are available online. To start your research, begin with the the CSUDH Library web page found at : http://library.csudh.edu . To use many of the resources and services, you will need to have a registered library card. Please bring your picture ID along with proof of current registraiton to the Library Circulation Department on the 2nd floor of the library. Distance students may register online at https://library.csudh.edu/rparegform.php but please allow 5 working days for the completion of the online registration process.
Books are located using the Library's ToroFind catalog. Here you can search for books by author, title or subject. In addition to finding materials available in the CSUDH Library, you will find links that allow you to directly request books from other libraries (All CSUs Catalog and LINK+ buttons).
To find journal articles when you do not have a specific citation or reference to an article, try one of the article indexes. Click on a link below to access the database of your choice or use our comprehensive list of Article Indexes to see all available CSUDH databases.
For a review of how to use the databases to find journal articles, click here. To limit your results to peer reviewed articles, look for the words "scholarly" and/or "peer reviewed ' and place a check in the box beside these words.
This is a major resource for locating research in sociology and related disciplines. Although it indexes over 1600 journals, this database is a bibliographic database that usually requires you to use this button
to find out if the library has the article. You may find links to articles held in other databases.
This is a comprehensive sociology research database that indexes numerous sociology and other social science journals. It includes full text for 235 "core" journals, as well as full text for books and conference papers.
This is a multi-disciplinary database with full text for more than 4,650 publications, many of which are peer-reviewed journals. This database is often used as a starting point since it covers a wide range of subject areas.
A bibliographic database for materials, including books, on Chicanos and the broader Latino experience. Although this database does not include links to the full text, use the CSUDH Journals List to locate journals articles and the ToroFind catalog to locate books.
The CQ Researcher focuses on current issues and hot topics. Each issue provides the background, current situation, pros and cons, chronology, the outlook, and a bibliography. This is a good place to start for getting the general overview.
Ethnic NewsWatch provides newspaper, magazine and journal and journal articles from the ethnic, minority and native press. If you are researching ethnic populations, you may find additional perspectives because of the resources it indexes.
Use this database to find materials related to gender issues and the family.
JSTOR contains the full text for 29 scholarly sociology journals, including Journal of Marriage and the Family and the American Sociological Review. The last 5 years are not included but the unique feature of this database is that it usually provides full-text from volume 1 up to few years ago.
The literature of psychology can offer some valuable studies. This is a very comprehensive database covering a wide range of related fields, including psychology as related to sociology.
This database includes indexing and articles for family studies and sociology.
Finding a Specific Journal Title
If you have a reference or citation to a specific journal article, use the CSUDH Journals List to find out if subscribes to the needed journal. This list includes both print and online journals. The Library currently subscribes to over 25,000 journals online.
Use this list to look up specific journal titles. When you click on the title, you will usually find a page that has separate links for the year of available volumes. Click on the year and then you will next be able to click on specific issues. CSUDH's list also includes links to the ToroFind catalog record for print subscriptions.
This list of journals includes those that fall into the category of family and marriage. Use this list if you want to browse for journals that might be useful for you topics.
There are are millions of web pages families and related topics. When using information from the web for projects and research papers, you should evaluate the quality and reliability of the information. Here's a link to one of many websites which give you evaluation criteria: Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages.
When writing a paper or completing a project for a class, you will usually be asked to provide a bibliography of the materials that you used. There are several standard guides available in the Library to help you. Please come to the Reference Desk for assistance. In addition, the CSUDH Library has a summary of the formats that are most commonly used posted on the Library website. Take a look at this guide in advance so you'll know what information you need to jot down before you begin your research. It may be more difficult to retrace your steps than to make bibliographic note cards as you are working on your project.
This web page on How to Cite Your Sources in a Research Paper has two links. The first link takes you to a download page for the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you will need to access the actual instruction page. The second link leads to a document that shows you how to cite books, articles, and web resources in APA, MLA, and Turabian formats. Always check with your professor to find out which citation format is preferred.