ANTH/SOCI 441:
Library Tips for Researching Things
- Wikepedia
- Gale Virtual Reference Library
- Oxford Reference
- Technology Encyclopedias:
- How products are made: an illustrated guide to product manufacturing
- How Stuff Works (web site)
- PRINT sources such as: Technological Innovation Encyclopedias
- As always, see Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology for sociological takes on theories and perspectives.
- Select from larger lists or search for more specific encyclopedias on our online encyclopedias page or on our various subject guides
- DISCOVERY SEARCH
TIP: For even more hits, go to to Advanced and uncheck Available at Concordia
- EBSCO combined: pick any database, such as Academic Search Complete, then select Choose Databases and select all or many
- ProQuest Central and/or Proquest Dissertations and Theses
- Google Scholar
TIP: Don't forget to use "cited by" to follow scholarly conversations
- JSTOR
- Use our CLUES Library Catalogue to find books at Concordia Library
TIP: CLUES can help you identify appropriate SUBJECT HEADINGS and subheadings.
Ex: "social aspects" | "political aspects" | "economic aspects"
- Explore our ebooks by publisher.
- Try Worldcat to search libraries worldwide, and Other Library Catalogues to locate books at McGill or other Montreal libraries.
- Use Google Books to search inside the pages of books, then use a CLUES Title Search to find out if we own the book you want. If we don't own the book use Interlibrary Loans or other library services
- Related Library Services to find out how to obtain material from other libraries.
DATABASES:
- SocINDEX
- Anthropology Plus
- Sociological Abstracts
- AnthroSource (only covers AAA journals)
Examples of other discipline-specific databases:
- Geobase (Geography & Environment)
- DAAI Design and Applied Arts Index
- For more discipline-specific databases, see our various subject guides
Examples of JOURNALS:
- Journal of Material Culture: 1996-1998 | 1999 onwards
- Material Culture: 1984-2012 | 2005 onwards
- Design & Culture
- Try these selected popular picks:
- Candian Newsstand Major Dailies: full text of major Canadian daily newspapers.
- Canadian Periodical Index (CPI-Q): Canadian magazines, newspapers, journals.
- Factiva: full-text of international and canadian newspapers
- Eureka.cc: lots of local Canadian and Quebec publications, plus international newspapers.
- Google news
- Google archived newspapers
- To find additional newspaper & magazine articles, including historical sources, as well as media transcripts and tv new archives see our News and Current Events database lists, .
- To look up the names of specific newspapers or magazines available in the Libraries ONLINE or in print, use the Journal Title Search Option in CLUES or the E-journals search box (for ONLINE only).
just for fun: Consumer/Industry Reports and Stats:
Articles in these journals provide theoretical reviews of areas of interest within disciplines. Try these:
Extended Bibliographies:
- Oxford Bibliographies. Can provide brief introductions, branches or areas or research, and extensive lists of important sources in many subject areas within Sociology and Anthropology.
Virtually all of the tools listed on this page can help you find material about the research method(s)/design you are considering.
But you should also try out our new specialized tool:
- Sage Research Methods Online
- This tool contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, journal articles and videos dealing with research methods in both theoretical and practical terms. It also includes Methods Map, a visualization tool that tries to map relationships between methods.
see our Library Tutorial:
- Article Delivery Service - Free email service for journal articles or books chapters only available in print or in microform at Concordia.
- Interlibrary Loans (COLOMBO) - fill out an online form to receive books and articles NOT AVAILABLE at Concordia.
- BCI card (formerly CREPUQ) - allows you to directly borrow books at McGill and elsewhere.
IS IT SCHOLARLY/ACADEMIC/PEER-REVIEWED?
Your professor's instructions should always be the first criteria in determining what qualifies as an appropriate academic source. If you feel you need additional guidance in this area, however, you might find some relevant tips in the guides below.
- Our library tutorial on: How do I know if an article is scholarly or peer reviewed?
- A quick tip or quick video from our library guide about peer-reviewed articles
- Scholarly vs. Popular Sources guide from Berkeley (for book chapters as well as journal articles)
- Peer-review in 3 minutes (NCSU Libraries)
When evaluating the quality of a variety of material, the following library guide might provide some help:
- How to evaluate research materials and resources
- ACT UP Evaluation Method (an alternative approach that tries to "push against dominant narratives")
- Quick help is always available at our Reference & Information Desk on the main floor of the Webster Library or from one of our other Ask a Librarian services - pick your favourite option.
- If you are still not finding what you need or you would like more assistance, please feel free to contact me to make an appointment.
- There are also many help & how-to pages available on our web site, including General Guides such as the step-by-step guide How to find articles.