Find Journal Articles
Start with these library databases to find journal articles about social issues and problems. A full list of databases is available on the library's Databases and Articles page.
- SocINDEX with Full Text: An excellent source of information on sociology and the social sciences. Indexing, abstracts, and a good deal of full text for thousands of journals, books, monographs, conference papers, and other sources. Over 1.3 million records.
- Social Work Abstracts: produced by the National Association of Social Workers, another good place to look for articles on social issues and policy.
- Academic Search Premier: a large multidisciplinary database that contains the full text of over 4000 journals, magazines, and newspapers.
- LexisNexis Academic: Search and get the full text of thousands of sources including local, national, and international newspapers; transcripts of television and radio shows; legal code and case law; business, medical, and other reference sources. Can be tricky to use; read the screen and proceed through each step. Explore your options!
How to get an article from your results list:
- Look for a link that says "Full Text" in the database record. If there is none...
- Click the maroon "Track It Down" icon. If the library has the full text of the article in another database, Track It Down will offer you a link to it. If full text is not available...
- Click one of the links under "Springfield College" on the Track It Down screen. This will automatically search to see if the library has the journal you need in print or on microform. If it does, you can come to the library to make copies. If the library does not own the journal you need....
- You can either see if another local library has it (try the links under "CLGS [Journals at Springfield Area Libraries]" on the Track It Down screen) OR order it via Interlibrary Loan--there's a link to the ILL forms right on the Track It Down screen. Allow 3-14 days for articles to arrive via Interlibrary Loan.
If you have one or more citations for articles you want to get and you're not currently in a database, you can see whether the library has them by checking our Journal List A-Z.
Find Books, DVDs, etc.
Check Voyager, the library's online catalog, to find books on your topic. If you find a good book for your topic, look in its Voyager record for the blue Subject Headings that are assigned to it. You can click a subject heading to search for more books on that topic, or use those words when searching to bring back more relevant results.
Valuable Web Resources
- Google Directory >> Society >> Issues: Part of Google's (incompletely) organized directory of the web, this site lets you easily locate sets of websites on a social issue. Note: sites have not been reviewed for quality!
- SOSIG (Social Science Information Gateway): The premier free Web resource for social science and social services. Based in the UK, the site nevertheless indexes a great many North American resources. Search by keyword or browse by topic.
- Social Sciences, Social Issues & Social Services: From the Michigan Electronic Library, this page is easy to browse or search and can lead to some excellent Web resources.
- Social Services InfoNet: This site includes award-winning entries that outline programs that constitute best practices in social work. Entries come from schools of social work, agencies, and practitioners. Produced by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.
- Thomas: a great way to find legislation relating to your topic.
- Mass.gov: homepage of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
- CT.gov: homepage of the State of Connecticut
- Google Images: A great way to find images related to your topic. Search it just as you would any search engine; results will be images instead of webpages. Remember, Academic Search Premier also has an Images database (button in green toolbar @ top of screen).
- PoliticalCartoons.com: by special request!
- Video Search Engines: Links to many different search tools that will allow you to watch, and sometimes download, video and/or audio clips online. Includes links to information on copyright/fair use.
See Also....
The following Research by Topic guides from the Babson Library website may help you in your research.
The library's Frequently Asked Questions page may also be useful.
How Do I Cite That?
This course uses the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual. Be sure to format your references and works cited page according to APA guidelines. The following websites (also available on Babson Library's How Do I Cite That? page) can help:
- Citing Sources: This guide, from Duke University, gives examples of how to cite various types of materials (books, webpages, printed journal articles, full-text articles from databases, etc.) in four different formats, one of which is APA.
- APA Style Guide: Quick APA style guide from the University of Southern Mississippi.
- The Fundamentals of APA Format (Word document): from Springfield College's Writing Center.
In addition, you can consult the printed Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association at Babson Library. Copies are available in the Reference Collection (BF 76.7 .P83 2001 REF) and by request at the Information Desk. The APA manual must be used in the library.
For help writing your paper or formatting your references, the Springfield College Writing Center is a great resource.
Ask the Library!
The staff at Babson Library are happy to work with you to find the information you need. There are four ways to contact the library:
- In person: Stop by the Information Desk anytime the library is open (hours).
- Via AOL Instant Messenger: Our screen name is babsonlibrarian. (learn more)
- By email: Fill out the Ask the Library! form, and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.
- By phone: Call the Information desk at x3315 (on-campus); (413) 748-3315 (local); or (800) 730-5279 (toll-free).