Key databases
Databases are a good place to start searching for current research and online journal articles.
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SocINDEX with Full TextScholarly journals published globally. Covers a range of topics including criminal justice, demography, ethnic, racial, gender and urban studies, family, substance abuse, violence and welfare.
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Families & Society CollectionAustralian collection of peer-reviewed journals from government and specialist organisations covering family-related topics such as: non-traditional families, parenting, marriage, divorce, division of labour, working mothers, birth rates and ageing.
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ProQuest Sociology DatabaseIncludes full-text sociology journals and related topics such as social policy, gender studies, and population studies.
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Social Science Premium CollectionCovers a broad range of topics including sociology, criminology and public policy.
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SAGE Research Methods Video: Practical Research and Academic SkillsExplanatory videos to help you develop the practical skills needed to successfully complete your research. Key areas covered include writing a research proposal, planning and designing a research project and securing ethical approval. Click on the Sage Research Methods logo to find more resources by subject including Sociology and Social and Public Policies.
Journals
Database searching allows you to find articles from many journals, but you can also search within a specific journal. This will limit your results, but can be useful if your topic corresponds to the journal's focus.
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Journal of Sociology
Journal of Sociology is the official journal of The Australian Sociological Association. It carries peer-refereed articles of sociological research and theory on issues of interest to Australian sociology and aims to promote dialogue and exchange between Australian sociologists and the international community of sociology. -
Australian Journal of Social Issues
The Australian Journal of Social Issues is published by the Australian Social Policy Association to provide an inter-disciplinary forum for debate on significant and controversial social policy issues. It deals with questions of social justice as most broadly defined. -
Sociological Review
The Sociological Review is one of the world’s foremost journals for sociological inquiry in all traditions, with over 100 years of publishing high quality and innovative articles. The journal is committed to the far-reaching intellectualism of sociological thought as well as championing a cause: that sociology matters. -
British Journal of Sociology
The British Journal of Sociology is a leading international sociological journal published on behalf of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). With a focus on the social and democratic sociological questions of our times, this journal leads the debate on key methodological and theoretical questions and controversies in contemporary sociology. -
American Journal of Sociology
Established in 1895 as the first US scholarly journal in its field, the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) presents pathbreaking work from all areas of sociology, with an emphasis on theory building and innovative methods. -
Sociology Compass
Unique in its range, Sociology Compass is an online-only journal publishing original, peer-reviewed surveys of current research from across the entire discipline. Sociology Compass publishes state-of-the-art reviews, supported by a comprehensive bibliography and accessible to an international readership
Books
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Toward a Pragmatist Sociology : John Dewey and the Legacy of C. Wright Mills
by Publication Date: 2018In Toward a Pragmatist Sociology, Robert Dunn explores the relationship between the ideas of philosopher and educator John Dewey and those of sociologist C. Wright Mills in order to provide a philosophical and theoretical foundation for the development of a critical and public sociology. -
Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans: Nature, Materials and Technologies
by Publication Date: 2018The robots are coming! So too is the 'age of automation', the march of 'invasive' species, more intense natural disasters, and a potential cataclysm of other unprecedented events and phenomena of which we do not yet know, and cannot predict. This book is concerned with how to account for these non-humans and their effects within theories of social practice. -
Public Ethnography
by Publication Date: 2018Ethnography and qualitative research methodology have witnessed a proliferation of styles and genres over the last three decades. Modes and channels of communication have similarly expanded and diversified. Now ethnographers can disseminate their work not only through traditional writing but also through aural, visual, performative, hypertext, and many diverse and creative multimodal documentation strategies. Yet, many ethnographers feel insufficiently proficient with these new literacies and therefore limit themselves to traditional modes of communication. This book outlines practical strategies and tools for sharing ethnographic and qualitative research through widely accessible media. -
Principles of Sociological Inquiry – Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
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Publication Date: 2014Introduces sociology research methods, process and design types and is aimed at undergraduate students. -
The Sociology of Gender
by Publication Date: 2011An introductory overview of gender theory and research. It treats gender as a multilevel system operating at the individual, interactional, and institutional levels and stresses conceptual and theoretical issues in the sociology of gender. -
Bourdieu's Theory of the State
by Publication Date: 2016This book critically examines Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the state by assessing its theoretical and empirical value. Situates Bourdieu's work within the context of classical and modern theories of the state, providing a comprehensive frame of reference. It also discusses Bourdieu's theoretical limitations and projects how his theory of the state might be utilized in the future.
Ereference
Dictionaries and encyclopaediae are handy for gathering background information when you start researching a topic. They can help you clarify topics and identify related concepts and terms which you can use to develop a search strategy.
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SAGE Knowledge: SociologyA range of resource types on a comprehensive list of sociological topics.
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SAGE Sociology video collectionSociology Collection supports students and researchers at all levels. Includes In Practice videos that highlight careers and practitioners in the real world; tutorial videos that shed light on hot topics within the field; and case study videos that explore particular research and its impact on policy.
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Social Sciences: Gale Virtual Reference LibraryIncludes the Encyclopedias of Sociology, Marriage and Family, Population, Crime and Justice and Aging.
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Credo Reference: Social SciencesTopic pages contain overviews, definitions, biographies, images and related topics.
Websites
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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Reports and DataThe AIHW develops, collects, analyses and reports information on a broad range of health and welfare issues in Australia. AIHW partners with Australian organisations including the Australian Bureau of Statistics, government and non-government organisations, universities and research centres.
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Australian Policy Online: CollectionsA research database and alert service providing free access to full text research reports and papers, statistics and other resources essential for public policy development and implementation in Australia and New Zealand.
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Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralia’s national statistical agency providing official statistics on a wide range of economic, social, population and environmental matters of importance to Australia.
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Data.gov.auData.gov.au provides an easy way to find, access and reuse public datasets from the Australian Government. The site provides both downloadable datasets and links to online data services provided by other government sources.
Help
Last reviewed: 6 February 2020