Sociological Abstracts Search Guide

Scope

Sociological Abstracts is the premier resource for accessing the research literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. It draws information from an international selection of over 1,809 journals and other serials publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. The data base covers articles relevant to sociology and related disciplines such as anthropology, economics, education, health, social psychology, and political science from 1963 to the present. It also contains the Social Planning/Policy & development Abstracts, SOPODA, data base in its entirety.

To Access

Use UCSB Libraries InfoSurf Indexes and Data Bases and select Sociological Abstracts or go directly to Sociological Abstracts. Social Services Abstracts is also searchable.
For off campus access to this data base, UCSB students, faculty, and staff may activate the UCSB Proxy Server. Go to http://www.library.ucsb.edu/help/proxy/faq.html

Quick Search

Type in a word or phrase for a topic in which you are interested in box. Click on pull down menu to select other data bases
or Select option to limit by date if desired. Click on Search Button. Click on Help and Support in Right Top
corner, click Databases & Collections in left Column, Click Databases & Collections again, and Click Sociological Abstracts
for the Sociological Abstracts Factsheet for more detailed instructions and examples.

Sample quick Search: race and class and gender

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search permits you to develop customized search strategies and take advantage of several search parameters. Click on Advanced Search Tab at top. Click on the pull down menu to select the type of search you want to do, e. g. keywords. Click in the box to the left and enter your search terms. When doing a keyword search, combine multiple words with "and" or your terms will be automatically searched as a phrase. Add other types of searches/limits and search terms in the boxes below. Select options to limit by date, sort, and change display if desired. Click on Search button. Click on Help and Support for more detailed instructions and examples for Advanced Searches.

How to Search

Click on Search Button to activate your search.

Select the Search Parameters or fields to take full advantage of the data base features, including sample record, field codes, and current serials source list. You may also limit your search to specific years. Search results may also include citations from Web Resources related to the Social Sciences/Humanities.

Truncation

Use the * Asterisk to truncate for plurals. Example: ti=immigrant* retrieves both immigrant and immigrants in titles of the original source document.

How to Refine Searches

By Adding Search Terms


Use boolean operator AND to intersect sets       

            Example: kw=immigrant* AND kw=women

Use boolean operator OR to include synonyms search terms       

            Example: ab=minority groups OR de=(hispanic americans)

Use boolean operator NOT to exclude search terms

            Example: de=minority groups NOT pt=dissertation

Thesaurus Search

The Thesaurus of Sociological Indexing Terms gives Descriptors. UCSB Library's Print copy is located at 
Main Reference & Information Desk: call number Main Ref Desk Z 695.1 .S63 .B66 2003.  Search the Sociological Thesaurus
to identify standardized subject headings, called descriptors, used in the Sociological Abstracts Data Base. Click on the
Tools Tab at top to search Thesaurus. Type in your search terms in the box labeled Browse, then Click on Go.
When your results are displayed, Click in the box next to the Descriptor to select it, then click on Search to search
for the term in the data base. To search for multiple terms, identify Descriptors from the Thesaurus and return to
Advanced Search screen.

Click on Advanced Search:

Sample Search:  descriptors(de)=social movements

                AND

                descriptors(de)=civil rights

                AND

                publication type(pt)=journal article

How to Display Results

After you have performed your search, your results will appear in rows. Click on View Record to view full citations, descriptors, and abstracts. To change the display for all records retrieved, click on pull down menu in box labeled Show at bottom of records list. Select a display option and click on Search.

Locating Journals and Books

After retrieving citations for selected serials and monographs, you may click on UC-eLinks.  The system will then give
the option to 1). Link directly to the online full text article if available; 2). Select See if a UC campus has 
this, Select Details/Locations On MELVYL: to search the California Digital Library's Data Base and MELVYL Union Catalog
for libraries holdings and display the UCSB Libraries call number if the Libraries own the serial or monograph, and volume
holdings; or 3). Request an interlibrary loan for items that are not available in the UCSB Libraries for UC students, 
faculty and staff only.

The UCSB Davidson Library PEGASUS System gives complete library holdings, circulation information, and whether 
volumes are located in special locations, checked out, or in process.  To determine if the UCSB Davidson Library owns
journals or publications you want, search in the PEGASUS Catalog System by title of journal or title of monograph.


       Sample Search:	Search          Title Begins With...     social indicators research

Save/Print/Email Records

While reviewing your search results, click in the box next to the record number for each citation you want to print
or email. Click on Save/Print/Email at top.  Select options for record format. To email, you must type in your 
complete email address. Click on Email to mail records,  Save to download, or Print to format records for printing.
Use QuikBib function to format citations in desired format such as Chicago Manual of Style. For example, Select MS 
word document format and Chicago 15th edition for bibliographic style for selected records and click create to 
produce your formatted bibliography.
Note:  UCSB Libraries do Not currently provide RefWorks bibliographic management software.

Helpful Information about Sociological Abstracts Data Base

Sociological Abstracts Serials Source List

Suggestion

Conference proceedings, such as presentations at the American Sociological Association annual meeting, although very
valuable, may not be published or available from interlibrary loan services. Please contact the Sociology
Collections Librarian listed below if you have a question.

For assistance with the use of this data base system, please contact a Reference Librarian at the Main Reference Desk or Sally Willson Weimer.

Additional Source for Sociology Resources

  Sociology Research Guide, UCSB Libraries  For more Sociology Research Sources.

The UCSB Davidson Library complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation. if you require the information in this publication in an alternate format, please contact the Reference and Information Desk, 893-2478, or a Library Staff Member.

Author: Sally Willson Weimer
Last Modified: 7 February 2005