The University of St. Thomas

Selected Sources in Sociology

A collection of resources for sociology research.

Resources for specific courses:

Direct links to resources on this page:

Other Web sites with information on more specific sociology topics:

Sociology Web sites:

The following web sites are grouped by type of web site.  They cover the three following areas:

  • General Web Sites
  • Subject Specific Web Sites
  • Sociology Guide Web Sites

General Web Sites:

These sites include dictionaries, electronic journals, etc.

American Sociological Association
The web site of the major association for sociologists.  There is a section for students.  They also provide information on many resources that they publish.  Some resources are available online for free.

Electronic Journal of Sociology
An online journal published at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Postmodern Culture (an electronic Journal)
Full-text articles of the current issue of the journal.  Access to back issues of the journal are available online from Johns Hopkins University Project Muse which is available from the UST Libraries Online Databases page.

Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences
Offered free of charge  by Athabasca University and the International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication (ICAAP) in Canada.

 

Subject Specific Web Sites:
These sites provide access to information on a specific subject topic in sociology.

Child and Family WebGuide
Designed and built by librarians and child development faculty at Tufts University.

Gaming: selected Internet resources
An excellent site created by the University of Nevada at Las Vegas library.  It identifies state and international gaming departments and associations, gaming related Web sites, the history of gaming, legal resources, and scholarly research.

PopCultures.com
This Web site provides numerous links to popular culture resources.  In additional to general links, it includes biographical information on well-known researchers, reading lists, articles, and discussion forums on several subject areas.

Poverty Related Links
Developed by the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Click on "Links" at the top of the IRP home page.

Race and Ethnicity Online
Official site of the Section on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics of the American Political Science Association.

Social Psychology network
This site, from Wesleyan University, provides links to over 4,000 web sites in social psychology.  It includes searching capabilities within the web site.

Survey Research Center
This University of Michigan Institute for Social Research web site provides extensive coverage of internet information for those doing survey research.

Terrorism Project
This site was created by the Center for Defense Information and provides access to current articles on terrorism.   It provides links to Homeland Security information, legislation, and other resources on the topic.

The Web Center for Social Research Methods
Includes tools for researchers, an online textbook, and "The Knowledge Base", which provides information on applied social research methods.

 

Sociology Guide Web Sites:
These sites provide links to a wide range of topics in the sociology field.  They serve as guides to sociology resources on the web.

Canadian Social Research Links
A personal web site by an employee of Human Resources Development Canada.

Social Sciences Virtual Library
Part of the WWW Virtual Library, "the oldest catalog of the web". See also WWW Virtual Library: Sociology listed below.

The SocioLog:  Julian Dierkes' comprehensive guide to sociology online
Links to research sites, academic sociology departments, research centers, and sociology publications on the web.

A Sociological Tour Through Cyberspace
Developed by a sociology faculty member at Trinity University, San Antonio.

SocioSite: Social Science Information System
Sponsored by the Sociological Institute of the University of Amsterdam for European and worldwide overview of sociology. 

The SocioWeb: Your Independent Guide to Sociological Resources on the Internet
Developed by an independent sociology researcher.

Intute: Social Sciences
A free search system for social science information on the Web.

WWW Virtual Library: Sociology
Part of the WWW Virtual Library, "the oldest catalog of the web".  See also Social Sciences Virtual Library above

A Few General Sociology Print Reference Resources Available in UST Libraries: 

General Reference Resources:

ANNUAL REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY.  1975- 
Yearly updates examine new developments and progress in various subfields of the discipline and identify critical issues.

THE BLACKWELL DICTIONARY OF MODERN SOCIAL THOUGHT.  2003.  (REF H 41 .B53 2003)
Definitions of terms used in the field of sociology during the twentieth century.

BLACKWELL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SOCIOLOGY.
This online encyclopedia provides information on all aspects of the field.  It is updated regularly.

DICTIONARY OF CRIME: CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIMINOLOGY, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.   1992.   (REF HV 6017 .E5425 1992)
Definitions of criminal justice terms along with sources from which the definitions were identified.

Dictionary of the Social Sciences.
An Oxford University Press publication available through CLICnet.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRIME AND JUSTICE.  1983. (REF HV 6017 .E52 1983)
A four-volume, interdisciplinary encyclopedia covering all fields relating to criminal behavior, crime prevention, punishment and treatment of offenders, institutions, and law.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRIMINOLOGY AND DEVIANT BEHAVIOR.  2001.  (REF HV 6017 .E53 2001)
A four-volume encyclopedia covering all aspects of criminology.  Each volume covers a different topic (e.g. Historical, conceptual and theoretical issues, or Self-destructive behavior and disvalued identity).  Volume 4 includes a subject index to the entire set.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAMILY LIFE.  1999. 5 vols.  (REF HQ 534 .E53 1999)
In-depth signed articles on topics with numerous cross-references and detailed bibliographies.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SOCIAL HISTORY.  1994.  (REF HN 28 .E53 1994)
Articles with short bibliographies written by experts in the field.

Encyclopedia of Social Measurement.  3 vols.  (REF H 62 .E53 2005)
This resource covers both quantitative and qualitative research measurement in the social sciences.  It covers general topics in alphabetical order.  Each article includes a glossary of terms and a bibliography for further reading.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SOCIOLOGY.  2000.  5 vols.  (REF HM 425 .E5 2000)
The major basic, in-depth encyclopedia covering the field of sociology.  Articles are signed and include a list of references on each topic.

Encyclopedia of World Poverty.
A Sage publication available through CLICnet.

The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences.  2001.  26 vols.  (REF H 41 .I58 2001)
A major encyclopedia in the field.  Each in-depth article is signed and includes cross-references and a bibliography of resources.  Volume 25 is an index to names in the publication, and volume 26 is a subject index to the set.

Science, Technology and Society: an encyclopedia.
An Oxford University Press publication the emphasizes an interdisciplinary and international coverage of the functions and effects of science and technology in society and culture.

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE ENCYCLOPEDIA.  3rd ed.  2 vols. (REF H 41 .S63 2004).
A basic encyclopedia with signed articles and bibliographies included.

Sociology: A guide to reference and information sources.  3rd ed.  (REF HM 51 .A24 2005)
A guide to the major resources to assist you in doing sociology research.

WRITING LITERATURE REVIEWS: a guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences.  (REF H 61.8 .G3 1999)
A basic help guide for the social science students.

MORE SPECIALIZED DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND HANDBOOKS:

Encyclopedia of Adolescence. 2 vols. (REF HQ 796 .E58 1991) 
Encyclopedia of Aging.  (REF HQ 1061 .E53 1995)
Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood In History and Society.  3 vols.
        (REF HQ 767.84 .E53 2003)
Encyclopedia of Community.   4 vols. (REF HM 756 .E53 2003)
Encyclopedia of Death. (REF HQ 1073 .E54 1989)
Encyclopedia of Urban America.  2 vols. (REF HT 123 .E5 1998)
Handbook of Social Psychology.  (REF HM 251 .H224 1985)
The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality.  3 vols. (REF HQ 21 .I68 1997)
Parenthood in America.  2 vols.  (REF HQ 755.8 .P3783 2000)
Women's Studies Encyclopedia. 3 vols. (REF HQ 1115 .W645 1989)
World Encyclopedia of Peace.  8 vols.  (REF JZ 5533 .W67 1999)

Statistical Resources and Web Sites:

 

American Attitudes:  who thinks what about the issues that shape our lives.  (O'Shaughnessy-Frey REF HN 90 .P8 M58 1998)
The author has brought together data from surveys of the University of Chicago?s National Opinion Research Center.  Viewpoints on many different topics are identified and statistics are explained and made available in charts.  A brief subject index is available, but the table of contents and the list of tables at the front is more helpful at finding what statistics are available.

The American Tally: Statistics and comparative rankings for U.S. Cities with Populations over 10,000.  (OSF REF HQ 201.122 .A47 2003)
Population statistics for U.S. cities.  It includes stats on education, language, immigration and ancestry (includes only major ancestry groups), income, employment, and housing.

ArgMax: Economics News, Data, and Analysis. 
A free Web site developed by a Senior Economic Research and Policy Analyst and Staff Economist at OMB Watch.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports 
This site provides access to the weekly reports published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  National Center for Health Statistics. 
This web site provides statistics on many different areas of interest to those studying families, including births, deaths, marriages, and divorces.

Childstats.gov: America's Children: key national indicators of well-being.
This site provides access to this annual publication dating back to 1997.

County and City Extra: Annual Metro, City and County Data Book.  (O'Shaughnessy-Frey REF HA 202 .A37 1999)
This is an annual publication which includes statistical data for counties and larger cities of over 25,000.  Information is based on the U.S. census data.  A companion volume, covering towns and townships under 25,000, is Places, Towns and Townships listed below.

Data on the Net.  
This web site, available from the University of California at San Diego, acts as a search system to provide access to archival social science statistical data on the WWW.

Demography and Population Studies WWW Virtual Library. 
Collected by Australian National University, this web site provides access to international demographic information. 

Dictionary of Statistics.
An Oxford University Press publication available through CLICnet.

Dictionary of Statistics and Methodology: a Nontechnical Guide for the Social Sciences.    (O'Shaughnessy-Frey REF HA 17 .V64 1999)
This is an excellent dictionary for social scientists who are doing statistical research.  It covers the basic concepts and terms and attempts to stay away from statistical jargon, except to define it.  There is also a short bibliography of sources for further reading on the topic.

Fast Facts: Almanacs/Factbooks/Statistical Reports & Related Reference Tools: An Acquisition Resource. 
This site is a detailed list of many web resources, which provide statistical information.  It includes many international resources.  The author also includes links to other sources which provide a similar service on the web.  

FedStats.  
Although this Web site has not been updated for a while, it is merely a subject guide to other web sites published by individual U.S. government agencies.  The actual statistics to which it links are separate web sites updated by the specific agencies.  It brings together the many statistics provided by these separate agencies.  

Minnesota Kids: a closer look. (1999).  (O'Shaughnessy-Frey REF HQ 792 .U6 M54 1999)
This resource provides demographic information on children in Minnesota.  Most of the information is available by county, but some more general statistics are identified.  This is an excellent source for basic statistics on children in Minnesota.

National Center for Education Statistics.  Education Statistics at a Glance.
This web site is the basic site for Education Statistics.  It includes the Encyclopedia of Education Statistics as well as Youth Indicators, demographic information on children and families, published by the U.S. Department of Education.       

Odum Institute. 
This web site provides access to the Louis Harris public opinion surveys archive, as well as links to other data research sites.   

Places, Towns and Townships.  (REF.
Although a companion publication to the County and City Extra: Annual Metro, City and County Data Book, this resource is not published every year.  Information is based on the U.S. census data.  

PollingReport.com: An Independent, Nonpartisan Resource on Trends in American Public Opinion. 
This site provides access to current poll data on political, economic, and sociological topics.

Population Reference Bureau.   
This site provides population demographics provided by the Population Reference Bureau and the Social Science Data Analysis Network.  Although only national data is provided, this interactive source provides current information under specific topics such as 'Marriage and Family'.  

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.   
This center collects public opinion polls worldwide.  Although access is free, they do charge for datasets and will provide pricing information.  Membership is also available.

Statistical Abstract of the United States.  (O'Shaughnessy-Frey REF HA 202)
This annual resource is the first place to go when trying to locate statistical information.  It provides tables with statistics in many different areas, and provides the information to locate more in-depth statistics on the topic.   The index refers you to the table number rather than the page number.                                                                                                     

Statistical Resources on the Web.
This web site provides access to federal government statistical files created by the Documents Center at the University of Michigan Library.

United Nations Population Information Network:  A guide to population information on UN system web sites.  
World population statistics information, called POPIN, are collected and maintained by the Population Division of the UN Secretariat and made available through this site.  

United Nations Scholars' Workstation.
This Web site is a collection of resources, both print and electronic, on many international topics connected with the United Nations.

United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
This site provides many different statistics covering "Inflation and consumer spending", "Wages, earnings and benefits", "Occupations", "Demographics" "Industry", "Business costs", etc. from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

U.S. Census Bureau.  
This site provides information about the Bureau of the Census, and about access tools, as well as social demographic and economic information.

Your Statistical Consultant:  Answers to your Data Analysis Questions.  (REF
This is a question and answer source on statistics.  It provides answers to basic as well as more advanced problems in the field.  An excellent list of resources for further study is included along with a brief subject index.

Indexes and Abstracts Available in the UST Libraries:

The following abstract is available in print format in the UST Reference Collection. 

  • Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts.  1983-    (REF HQ 1180 .S78)                             

The following indexes and abstracts are available in electronic format from the Databases & Indexes page. Accessibility is noted with each title:

 Jan Orf, jmorf@stthomas.edu
117 O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, (651)962-5007

Last updated January 9, 2008.