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SOC 379 - Gender & Sexuality

This is a research guide to help you find sources for your literature review. It was designed for students in Soc 379, Gender & Sexuality in Social Institutions.

QuickSearch

You can find scholarly articles using the QuickSearch tool. QuickSearch searches a huge amount of content, including things that are not scholarly and not sociological, so be sure to use the filters available. 

For advice on what filters to use, read on!

QuickSearch

Suggested QuickSearch Filters

  • 1. UNCHECK the Full Text box 
    • This will allow you to see articles available through Interlibrary Loan.
  • 2. Limit by date
    • To find articles published within the past 10 years​

​Refine results    

 

  • 3.  Limit to peer-reviewed
    • You can find this under Advanced Search. Or when you are looking at a list of results, you can find it under Show More in the left sidebar. 

Peer reviewed

Choosing search terms: An example

  • Use two or more search boxes (Advanced Search)
  • Brainstorm alternate keywords
    • You can combine similar terms with OR if you want to be fancy. Or, you can just search a few different times.
  • To limit your search to sociology journals, put sociolog* in a box.

 

  • You can limit your search to a particular journal by putting its title in a box.

Evaluating results

Is it current? Is it peer-reviewed? 

Double-check to see whether the articles you find were published within the past 10 years.

If you used the peer-reviewed checkbox, all the journals you find should be peer-reviewed . You can always look at their websites to make sure.

Is it in a sociology journal?

Look at the journal title. If you are not sure whether this is a sociology journal, try searching for the journal's website.

Another thing to try: See whether the database record lists the author's academic department. If they are part of a Department of Sociology, perfect! If the database only gives their name, try looking them up on the web. 

Is it empirical?

You can usually tell whether a study is empirical by carefully reading the abstract. Did the authors base their conclusions on original, direct observation or experimentation? Did they collect and analyze data? If so, the study is empirical. An empirical study usually has a Methodology or Methods section.

Some types of article that are NOT empirical:

  • Literature review
  • Meta-analysis
  • Theoretical article

Is it relevant to your topic?

Don't just trust the title. Read the abstract to help you figure out whether this article is relevant to your topic.