CSUDH Library and Information Resources for
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SOC 367: Sociology of Law
Prepared by:Caroline
Bordinaro, Librarian
cbordinaro@csudh.edu | 310-243-2084
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Concepts and questions for
beginning research:
- Where to Start?
- What's your research question?
- What information do you need to find?
- Who cares about the same
information? (e.g.: researchers,
historians, government, etc.)
- What kind of information do they need?
- Where would they get it?
- What resource are you currently using?
Why is it important to know?
- Is there a better tool for the job?
- Are you using it in the most efficient/effective way?
- Types of information available
- Books
- Articles from journals, magazines and newspapers
- Websites
- Newsletters
- Reports
Advice for searching subscription
databases:
- Definitions
- DATABASE: An organized collection of
information, especially electronic information.
- ONLINE JOURNAL INDEX: A database that contains
magazine, newspaper and journal articles e.g: Academic Search Premier
- JOURNAL (also SCHOLARLY JOURNAL):
Scholarly publication, articles usually reviewed by experts in the field
before publication; published for an academic audience; narrow focus; deeply
researched e.g.; American Journal of Psychology
- MAGAZINE: Publication of general interest: popular
interest and broad subjects (e.g: Psychology Today)
- ABSTRACT: a brief summary of the main content of an
article
- FULL TEXT: the complete article. Click on the
button to see
if the Full Text is available.
- CITATION: the basic information you need to find the
full text of an article. Includes
- Search Concepts
- Boolean operators
- 1. AND: Adidas AND marketing
2. OR: Adidas OR Nike
3. NOT:
Adidas NOT shoes
- Phrase searching"" ( "Nike Sportswear of America")
- Advanced Search: Use this frequently to determine your search
options. This will save you TIME and FRUSTRATION!
- USE THE HELP SCREENS
- Rules and advice
- Find index descriptors attached to useful article citations- redo your
search with these "Official Database Topic Terms"
- Always use the E-Mail, Print and Save functions
embedded within the database window. It is usually not a good idea to use
the File-Print or File-Save As functions in the upper left hand corner of
the browser.
- All databases function essentially the same way and have similar
features.
BONUS!! Try our new SEARCH
TUTORIAL and tell us how you liked it! Send comments to Jeff Broude,
librarian at jbroude@csudh.edu.
Finding Books in the library
Go to TOROFIND: the CSUDH Library Catalog and
search on the title, author, subject or keyword. Look not only for that specific
call number, but also check out the books in that section. This is the best way
to find older government documents and technical reports.
- If you don't see the right item listed, or want more titles, try an
on
a few keywords (in separate boxes).
- The item you want may not be a book. It may be some other kind of
document, or it may be on microfilm.
- If you don't find what you need, ask a reference librarian.
Go to:
Finding Websites
| Library
Guides
Magazine, journal and newspaper articles online
NOTE:
These are subscription online journal
indexes, selected and provided specifically for CSUDH students. To access from
home, please see our Remote Patron Access Instructions guide for login
instructions.
Recommended journal indexes:
- Social Sciences Full Text*: indexes publications and
peer-reviewed research.
- SocINDEX*: offers coverage from all subdisciplines of
sociology, including criminology, cultural sociology, demography, economic
development, ethnic & racial studies, gender studies, politics, social
psychology, social structure, urban studies, welfare, and others.
- Lexis-Nexis: 100% full-text newspapers, magazines and
journal articles on a wide range of subjects. Choose News or Legal
for articles and research in these areas.
- JSTOR: Peer reviewed journal articles on a wide range of
social sciences topics.
- Project Muse: Collection of scholarly articles in the
humanities and social sciences with a global and historical focus.
- Ethnic News Watch*: Published research on ethnic groups
in the United States.
- Gender Watch*: Scholarly research in the areas of women's
studies, gender interaction, LGBT studies, the evolution of the women's
movement and the changes in gender roles.
- America History & Life and Historical
Abstracts: indexes journals on American and world history from 1450
to the present.
- PsycINFO*: citations and summaries of scholarly journal
articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, all in psychology and
related disciplines, dating as far back as the 1800s. 97 percent of the
covered material is peer-reviewed. Also try PsycARTICLES and PsycEXTRA.
- Anthropological Index: search for articles about the law
as a sociological construct. Warning: for advanced
searchers only!
Recommended general interest indexes:
- Academic Search Premier*: Our most popular general index.
Many full-text articles. Easy search and retrieval. Many older articles.
- ProQuest Databases*: Excellent multi-subject index, with
many full-text articles. Very easy to search.
- WilsonWeb: OmniFile Full-Text Mega*: Another
multi-subject index. Lots of full-text.
- Britannica Online (use this link)
: the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica. Search on
your country.
*To limit search to
peer-reviewed journals only, look for check box next
to Peer-Reviewed, Scholarly Journals, or Academic Journals on database search
screen (may be in Advanced Search)
Finding quality websites
These are indexes to quality web sites that have been reviewed by librarians.
The sites have been checked for accuracy, timeliness, stability, and will
generally conform to the standards of academic research. However, please be
judicious in the use of websites in general, because anybody can put anything on
the web.
- CSUDH Law Research Guide: Resource guide
for journal indexes and Internet resources compiled by CSUDH librarians.
- The Law and Society
Association: an international and interdisciplinary group of
scholars interested in the place of law in social, political, economic and
cultural life. Publishes the Law & Society Review, sponsors
annual conferences and educational workshops, and encourages participation in
its workshops and mentorship program for students and new scholars.
- Sociology
of Law: A section of the American Sociological Association
- Association for the study of Law,
Culture & the Humanities: Scholars engaged in the studies of
legal history, legal theory and jurisprudence, law and cultural studies, law
and literature, law and the performing arts, and legal hermeneutics.
Encourages dialogue about issues of interpretation, identity, and values,
about authority, obligation, and justice, and about law's place in culture.
- Infomine
(infomine.ucr.edu): A project from the Univeristy of California
and other universities, it is a searchable index of websites specifically
appropriate for university research. Click on SocSci & Humanities to
search their specialized index.
- Librarian's Index to
the Internet (www.lii.org): Index of websites reviewed by
librarians, geared toward the general public. Choose a topic from the index or
use Advanced Search to search for keywords.
- Evaluating Information on the Web: This is a very
good checklist from the Pasadena City College Library for judging the quality
of not only information on the Internet, but any information you may want to
use for an assignment.
For more detailed
help, download our LIBRARY GUIDES (.doc format) :
Go to:
Research
Concepts | Finding Books |
Finding
Magazines, Newspapers and Journals | Finding
Websites
Created
and adapted by C.
Bordinaro, CSUDH librarian 07/12/2007
