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SOCI 310:
Tips for library research

Try these databases to make sure you find academic articles in peer-reviewed journals*:
 

USEFUL TIPS:

  • *Not all articles in databases are peer-reviewed.  You can click on the Scholarly/Peer-reviewed journals checkbox in most of the databases above to ensure that the citations you choose are acceptable peer-reviewed articles. See also Evaluating Sources.
  • For Quick Tips on how to enter search terms in most of these databases, see this one-page CHEAT SHEET
  • See also this quick video: Developing your Search Strategy (the search examples in this video are in the  Sofia Discovery Tool, but you can apply the same tips to most databases above)

**FUN TIP:
If you have found an interesting citation that is not very recent, use the "Cited by" link available  in many databases (especially in Google Scholar) to find similar and more recent articles**

 

**NOTE:  YOUR PROFESSOR'S INSTRUCTIONS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER ANY GENERAL INFO GUIDES OR LIT REVIEW EXAMPLES AS ABOVE. 

 

 

 


The main task of articles in these kinds of journals is to review the literature related to a research topic. They include extensive bibliographies which can lead you to many other sources on your research question. Try these:
 

*WARNING: Articles in these journals do NOT present empirical qualitative or quantitave research, instead they review other authors' research.

 

The following tools may help:

**NOTE:  YOUR PROFESSOR'S INSTRUCTIONS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER ANY GENERAL INFO GUIDES OR EXAMPLES ABOVE. 

The following tools may help:

APA - 7th Edition
ASA - 2022 7th Edition

 

ZOTERO is a free and popular citation tool

To begin:

  1. Register for a free account
  2. DOWNLOAD the appropriate Zotero program for your computer and Connector for your browser
  3. Learn more via our Zotero help page or workshops

     

**Ask your professor about their guidelines  and policies around  using AI tools **

First getsome context & learn the basics:
Learn more and try out some tools:

**NOTE: while some book chapters can be considered peer-reviewed research, it is harder to identify these than it is with peer-reviewed articles. See the Help Evaluating section of this guide for guidance. **

books at Concordia:
books BEYOND Concordia:
  • The Sofia Discovery tool can simultaneously search the catalogues of all Quebec university libraries, and of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide. Under the Library facet on the left, simply select: Bibliothèques universitaires du Québec or Libraries worldwide.
  • Google Books. This tool searches inside the pages of books. Once you have identified a useful book here, you can search for the print or ebook at Concodia using our Sofia Discovery tool.
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.
 

When evaluating the quality of a variety of material, the following library guide might provide some help:

Virtually all of the tools listed on this page can help you find material about the research method(s) uch as observation, interviewing and more.

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. 
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