Finding Scholarly Sources

SOCI 3680The Logic of Social Inquiry: Qualitative Methods

October 15th, 2014

library.yorku.ca

Research Help

• Meet with a subject librarian in person.• Ask a question via email, chat or by

phone.• Take part in a library workshop to hone

your research skills.

Don’t be shy, we’re here to help!

Visit the Library’s homepage

www.library.yorku.ca

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• Use the catalogue to search the Library’s collections.

• Find books, e-books, journals, newspapers, videos, and much more.

• Search by keyword, title, author or subject by using the drop down menu.

A quick search provides a fast way to find items from the Library’s homepage.

Search the catalogue

• The advanced search option allows you to refine results prior to conducting a search.

• You can limit your search by publication date, format, location, and language.

Search the catalogue (advanced)

• The advanced search option allows you to search multiple fields simultaneously.

• You can also use the operators AND, OR, NOT to combine terms and achieve more precise results.Remember - too many

limitations may hinder your search results.

Remote access

• Your student card is your library card – use it to borrow physical library materials.

• You can access the Library’s electronic collections anytime, anywhere - with an internet connect and your Passport York credentials.

Consult a Research Guide

researchguides.library.yorku.ca

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• Online guides are created by library staff to share recommended resources for your area of study.

Sociologie/Sociology Research Guide (Glendon)

Sociology Research Guide (Keele)

• Be sure to read the resource descriptions to determine whether a database is suitable.

• If your topic does not fall neatly into one subject area general databases can be a good place to start your research:

Search all ProQuest databases.

To find journal articles on a particular subject, use a database.

Library Databases

Multidisciplinary vs. Specialized• Specialized databases cover a specific subject, field or

format type (i.e. newspapers).• Multidisciplinary databases cover multiple subject areas.• Databases can contain both popular and scholarly sources.

Database Coverage

Social Theory Selection of documents that explore the complexities and interpret the nature of social behavior and organization. Features works by major theorists.

Sociological Abstracts Covers sociology and related disciplines and contains information for approximately 1600 journals.

Web of Science Over 8,500 research journals across the Social Sciences, Sciences and Arts & Humanities (offers citation searching feature).

Ethnographic Video Online Online streaming video documenting human culture.

Borrowing from other Libraries

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

• Intercampus loan/ borrowing (ICB) is a service provided to transport library materials between the Keele campus libraries and Glendon.

• Racer/ Interlibrary loan allows you to borrow materials not available at York from other academic libraries.

Evaluate your sources

SPARK- selecting sources

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Peer-reviewed sources have been approved by a panel of experts prior to publication.

Ulrich’s International Periodical Directory

Criteria Scholarly Sources

Author • Researchers, experts in a field

Publisher • Often peer-reviewed

Audience • Researchers, specialists, academics

Content • Present results of original research

• Includes references

Language • Specialized terminology

SPARK is an e-learning resource designed to help students complete academic assignments

Research Evaluation and Journal Impact

Web of Science• Search by cited author and create citation reports

(provide information about an author’s publishing output).

• Cited Reference Search – finds articles that cite the article being searched.

Journal Citation Reports• Allows you to compare and evaluate some of the

world's leading journals. Scientific Journal Rankings• Provides journal and country scientific indicators to

allow you to compare journals (scopus database).

Cite your sources

Citing Research Guide

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Offers links to resources and general advice about creating bibliographies.

• You can find citation style manuals by searching the library catalogue.

Online Citation Management Tools

• Allow you to generate bibliographies, organize your research, and share with others.

Examples:

• Refworks• Mendeley• Zotero

Be sure to verify your work, computers can make mistakes.

Feedback

Class Survey

Your opinion matters!

Please take a minute to share your feedback. Your comments will help us make improvements to future sessions.

Thank you!

Leigh Jackson, LibrarianLeslie Frost Libraryleighj@yorku.ca