Finding journal articles
UIC Library provides hundreds of specialized databases -- one good starting strategy is to make the most of the strengths and weaknesses of two:
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Sociological AbstractsPro: Comprehensive, in-depth journal coverage
Con: Stiff, unfamiliar search language
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Google ScholarPros: Familiar, flexible search language; "Cited by" feature
Con: Haphazard journal coverage
Another option to find related articles is the "Cited Reference Search" in Web of Science.
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Web of ScienceWeb of Science indexes core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
BrowZine App
Key background resources
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International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd editionComprehensive, scholarly background information on topics in the social and behavioral sciences with international scope.
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SAGE Research MethodsContains full text, Sage research methods books, handbooks, and encyclopedias. Includes videos and interactive mapping tools.
Social data & polls
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ICPSR : Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social ResearchArchives of social science data for research and instruction.
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Qualitative Data RepositoryThe first domain repository in the United States dedicated to curating, archiving, preserving, and publishing digital data arising from qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences.QDR is hosted by the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry, a unit of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
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Roper Center for Public Opinion ResearchPublic opinion data and tools for bivariate and multivariate analysis. iPoll includes 500,000 questions and answers asked in the U.S. since 1935.
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SimplyAnalyticsSimplyMap is now SimplyAnalytics. Mapping application that allows users to customize interactive maps & reports using thousands of data variables. To save your searches, you need to sign up for an account using your UIC email address. Access restricted to 5 concurrent users.
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Social ExplorerSocial Explorer provides access to current and historical census data and demographic information. Create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change.
Note: Social Explorer has developed a new libguide. To see the new libguide, you can go this link here
Other Useful Resources
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Public Affairs Information Service International (PAIS Index)Political, social, and public policy issues, especially any topics that are or might become the subject of legislation.
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Policy CommonsPolicy Commons provides almost 2.5 million fulltext think-tank publications, including policy reports, administrative documents, books, project and campaign documents, working papers and discussion papers, journal articles, press releases, briefs, and brochures.
UIC Liaison Librarian for Sociology: Tell me about your research, I can help!
UIC Library accounts
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RefWorksThis is the new version of RefWorks. To create an account, use this link. Questions? Email ask-citehelp@uic.edu
Quotable Quotes
"When the intellectual going gets tough, the tough become social scientists." -- Earl R. Babbie. 2010. The Practice of Social Research. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage, 127.
"The well-trained sociologist may brave the rigors of the field or confront the most recalcitrant interviewees, but quail before the library." -- Barney G. Glaser and Anselm L. Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine, 163.