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Sociology 393- Women, Welfare, and the State
Introduction
| Reference Sources
| Indexes & Databases
| Internet Resources
| Writing the Paper
For further research assistance, please contact Pat Prieto (pprieto@usm.maine.edu; 780-5662) Research and Instruction Librarian, Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine.
Chat and e-mail research assistance and an appointment request form are also available through our Ask a Librarian service.
This guide serves as an introduction to resources in the USM Libraries. It is selective, rather than comprehensive; its aim is to introduce you to categories of information as well as to specific sources.
Some suggestions on approaching your research:
Start with your "comparison" country; it will be easier to find material about an issue in another country and then find comparable information about the U.S. than vice versa.
Keep a careful record of where and how you have searched (ie., database or website name and search terms used) - it will save you time in the long run!
Check the references in the articles, books, and reports you use - they may lead you to other useful resources.
URSUS is the catalog for the University of Maine System libraries, Maine State Library, Law and Legislative Reference Library, and Bangor Public Library. The online requestor function in URSUS allows you to request books from the other libraries. (For more on searching the catalog and requesting titles from other URSUS libraries, consult the URSUS tutorial.)
MaineCat
Includes Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, and the Portland Public Library. Like URSUS, it has an online request function.
WorldCat
A national and international catalog of books, Internet sites, audio-visual sources, government documents, CD-ROMs and more. Search by keyword to find relevant essays or articles in edited books. Limit your search to English, if applicable, to eliminate materials that will not be useful to you.
Library catalogs in foreign countries
University, public and government libraries in foreign countries are very good places for identifying criminology sources. Try academic libraries, public libraries in large cities, national libraries.
Note: Many of the sources found in WorldCat or foreign library catalogs will have to be ordered through the Interlibrary Loan service, but check first to see if they are available in the University of Maine System or other cooperating Maine libraries. If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or MaineCat you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).
Reference sources provide useful background information, give quick, factual information, and can help you develop a vocabulary to use when searching URSUS and the periodical databases.
General Country Information / Background Reading / Guides to Further Research / Directories
Europa World Year Book
Por Reference JN1.E85
Each country profile includes an overview of recent history, government, defense, economic affairs, social welfare, and education, as well as a statistical survey of demographic and economic information and a directory of government, political organizations, diplomatic respresentation, judiciary, the press, and trade and industry organizations.
The World Factbook
Por Reference JA51.W675
This annual publication supplies brief information on geography, people, government, economy and communications for each country. Also available online at: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Country Studies
Por Stacks, call numbers vary.
Search URSUS by keyword with the words "country study" and the name of your country, e.g., country study and ethiopia.
Produced by the U.S. Army, this series includes most of the world's countries; notable omissions are Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and other Western nations, as well as a number of African nations. These are excellent sources for background information with chapters on history, society, economy, government and politics, and national security. Also available online at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
CQ Researcher
Balanced coverage of "hot issues" in the news, many of them pertaining to social welfare. Each week's report includes a bibliography and timeline of the issue as well as a pro-and-con discussion of a related question.
Encyclopedia of European social history
POR Reference HN373 .E63 2001
Includes more than 200 signed articles on topics such as Birth, Death and Abortion, The Welfare State, Drinking and Drugs, Pornography, and Developmental and Physical Disabilities.
Encyclopedia of social welfare history in North America
POR Reference HV12 .E497 2005
Provides brief histories of social welfare institutions in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Encyclopedia of social work
POR Reference HV35 .S6
A specialized encylopedia which provides articles on social work topics written by experts.
Statistical handbook on the social safety net
POR Reference HV51 .P33 2004
A wealth of numerical information on programs such as worker benefits, TANF, Medicare and Medicaid, etc. While the focus is the U.S., there are also many comparative tables, as well as non-statistical information such as chapters on the meaning of "social safety net", the U.S. government's definition of "poverty", etc.
Information sources in the social sciences
Por Reference H61 .I56 2002
International government information and country information : a subject guide
Por Reference ZA5050 .M67 2004
Encyclopedia of Associations
Por & Gor Reference HS17.G335
Encyclopedia of Associations -- International Organizations
Por & Gor Reference AS8.E53
These directories are excellent sources for identifying pertinent organizations.
To complete your research, you will need to consult periodicals as well as books. The databases listed below can help you identify journal articles and other publications on your topic. Once you have a citation, Finding Articles at USM gives detailed instructions on locating full text articles online and in print journals.
Academic Search Premier
A multi-subject index that provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.
Contemporary Women's Issues
A multidisciplinary, full-text database with content from mainstream periodicals, gray literature, and the alternative press, this is recommended for topics such as domestic violence, prostitution, etc.
EconLit
Contains citations and abstracts to economic research dating back to 1969. Provides comprehensive information economic forecasting, government regulations, labor economics, monetary theory, urban economics and much more.
FactSearch
A guide to statistical statements on current social, economic, political, environmental and health issues.
HeinOnline
A searchable collection of full text articles from nearly 370 academic legal periodicals.
IngentaConnect
A multi-subject index, good for obscure topics because it indexes almost 30,000 publications.
LegalTrac
An index to law journals, available only at the Law School Library (go to the 3rd floor of the Law School building for reference assistance)
ProQuest Newspapers
Indexes articles from the last 5-15 years (dates vary) of many important U.S. newspapers, as well as numerous foreign papers in English. Full text is available for most titles.
Sociological Abstracts
The primary index for sociology and related disciplines including criminology, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope. Covers about 2,600 journals in 30 different languages from 55 different countries. Also includes books, conference papers,and doctoral dissertations.
Social Work Abstracts Plus
An index to the social work literature, with good coverage of topics such as child abuse and domestic violence.
Since there is no authority control for the Internet, it is important, in choosing Internet resources, to evaluate the authenticity of the source. The MARINER Tutorials provide helpful tips for Evaluating Websites.
International Data Base (IDB)
Maintained by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, this is a good source for demographic and socioeconomic information about countries all over the world.
Internet Public Library
Has an extensive listing of online newspapers throughout the world.
Statistical Agencies (International)
Another U.S. Census Bureau site, this site provides links to the official statistical agencies of foreign governments, listed alphabetically by country.
United Nations Statistics Division
A searchable compilation of demographic, economic, social and environmental statistics from many sources.
Yahoo! Newspapers
Another country-by-country newspaper listing.
National Center for Children in Poverty
A division of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, the NCCP provides fact sheets, issue briefs, and a vast amount of state-level data pertaining to child poverty.
Congressional Research Service Reports
Searchable access to Congressional Research Service reports, provided by the University of North Texas Libraries.
Institute for Research on Poverty
Described as "a center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States", the IRP offers a searchable website with links to full text of its "discussion papers", statistics on poverty, and other useful information.
Internet Researcher: A Guide to Social Policy Resources
Catholic University's gateway site has links to numerous resources organized into broad categories such as housing, poverty, and social security.
Accurate, properly formatted footnotes and bibliographies are indicators of good academic research, and the ethical/legal use of information. For help with citing using APA documentation, the following resources are available:
Online: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources (Look under “Citation Styles” for APA format)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
POR/GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83 2001
LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83 2001
USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed documents, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Introduction to Endnote for further information.
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