How to do research in Sociology

Library resources for researchers working on sociology, social movements, demography, and social psychology

START WITH GOOD KEYWORDS

Topic-specific keywords will help improve your results in a general multidisciplinary database like Google, Google Scholar, and HOLLIS. 

Add keywords like these to your search:

  • Topic terms - migration, income inequality, social movements, "race and ethnicity"
  • Geographic terms - “United States”, “Sub-Saharan Africa”,  rural, urban
  • Groups or Institutions - families, colleges, consumers, activists
  • Methods terms - interviews, ethnography, surveys

UPGRADE YOUR SEARCH: KEY DATABASES

The best tool for your project may be a specialized search engine, also known as a database. These databases are subject-specific or format-specific search tools:

Sociology Database (via HarvardKey) - covers the international literature in sociology.

Web of Science (via HarvardKey) - a broad multidisciplinary database that includes Social Science Citation Index, which covers the international literature in the social sciences. It also enables researchers to discover what articles have cited an author or article.

Dig Deeper

Sociology: A Guide to Research Resources offers further database recommendations for Sociology research including resources for finding data. 

Databases for Sociology - explore the full list of Harvard Library databases in this subject category.

CONNECT WITH US 

Lee LaFleur, Associate Librarian for Research, Teaching, and Learning Services for FAS, is available to support researchers via email or in-person consultation.

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RELATED FAQS 

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