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SOC 3070: Social Research Methods

Subject Specific Databases

The databases you use will depend on your topic. The following links are popular databases in the areas of sociology and criminal justice:

Additional subject databases are available on the Criminal Justice Databases or Sociology Database pages.

Is it peer-reviewed?

Identify the Journal

Check if the article is from a reputable, peer-reviewed journal. Social Sciences Citation Index only includes peer-reviewed journals, but the ProQuest databases include more types of content so make sure to check.

Article Structure

Peer-reviewed articles usually have a structured format: abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and references. For this class, all your journal articles you find should have a methodology section.

Author Credentials

Verify authors' affiliations and previous publications. Author(s) should be clearly visible on the journal article.

Lots of Citations

Look for extensive citations. These could be potentially additional journal articles for your own research.