Contact info

This guide will provide assistance with finding scholarly material to support the research paper assignment.  For Library research help, please contact Moninder Lalli, Librarian for Sociology / Anthropology by email moninder_lalli@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.

Research process

Start Your Research Here - This page gives you an overview of the research process, or in other words how to find materials for your essay.

Selected encyclopedias and handbooks

Get an overview of a topic by using encyclopedias, handbooks or textbook.  These types of resources identify key authors, theories and  important resources on a topic.

• Fifty key sociologists: the contemporary theorists
• Blackwell companion to social movements
• International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences
• Oxford handbook of transnational feminist movements
• Sage eReference

Find journal articles

Searching the "Databases for a discipline" is a great strategy to view articles that have been written within the scholarly journals of that discipline.  For help, refer to the How to find journal articles, What is a scholarly journal? [guide], Finding articles: Advanced search techniques [video 3:13 mins]

If full-text of article is not available from within the database, click on the "Get@SFU" link to find it or to initiate an inter-library loan request.

• ProQuest Sociology Collection - for issues related to class, gender, racism, sexuality and sexism and theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and policy science.
• Social Sciences Full Text - Broad coverage of social science journals
• Social Theory - Documents on social behaviour and organization from major social sciences theorists.
• Oxford Bibliographies Online - Lists key books, articles, and other sources on a wide variety of subjects via annotated and curated bibliographies. An excellent starting point for locating important literature and scholarly sources on a topic.

For more, try Sociology Databases

Find books

Library Catalogue search guide

Search the SFU Library Catalogue: Advanced keyword

Note: search results limited to "Online Resources only" and "resource type" of "books

• "Social control" AND theor*
  • search results limited to "Online Resources only" and "resource type" of "books
• "social control" AND "social integration" AND societ*
• "social control" AND resistance
• "Social control" AND (state OR societ*)
• "Social control" AND socialization
• ritual* AND "social interaction*" AND "social control"
• "social control" and governance
• "social control" AND addict* AND (medicine* OR rehabilit* OR punish*)
• "social control*" AND borders
• "social control*" AND sexualit*
• "social control*" AND (femin* OR masculin* OR sexualit*)
• ("Social aspects" OR "social control") AND fashion
• surveillance AND "social control"

Combine different concepts using AND
Combine same concepts using OR
Use quotation marks to search for a phrase
Use brackets for synonyms
Use asterisk (*) for different endings of words

Use pull-down menu and select, "Source Types" as "Books"

Note:  For Catalogue Search, when combining concepts, use CAPITAL letters ( "OR", "AND")

When you find a useful book, click on its "subject" to find more books on the same topic.

Selected books

• Cultural messaging in the U.S. war on terrorism a performative approach to security
• Hands up, don't shoot : protesting the police in Ferguson and Baltimore
• Policing Dissent : Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement
• Rallying for Immigrant Rights The Fight for Inclusion in 21st Century America
• The resistance : the dawn of the anti-Trump opposition movement

Browse by subject

You can also "browse by subject" to find  books about a topic.

Catalogue Search / Browse

Change "Title" to "Subject" and enter "subject" terms

You can also enter names of sociologists to find books written about them

From your list of titles that appear, check their subject headings.

Try "subject" searches. Note: if you have a large list of titles, sort by "newest first" by pressing the "limit" icon. Some typical subject headings that may be helpful for this class include:

• Protest Movements
• Protest Movements -- United States
• Sex -- Social aspects
• Sex and law
• Social Control
• Social control -- United States
• Social legislation
• Social movements
• • See also the narrower term Animal rights movement
  • See also the narrower term Anti-feminism
  • See also the narrower term Anti-globalization movement
  • See also the narrower term Antinuclear movement
  • See also the narrower term Environmentalism
  • See also the narrower term Gay liberation movement
  • See also the narrower term Human rights movements
  • See also the narrower term Labor movement
  • See also the narrower term Peace movements
    --subdivision Protest movements under names of wars, e.g. Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements
  • See also the narrower term White supremacy movements
• Social movements - China
• Social Movements - Islamic Countries
• Social Movements - Philosophy
• Social movements - Canada
• Social Movements - Political Aspects - Canada
• Social Movements - Research

Library guides

• Annotated bibliographies
• Evaluating sources
• How to find journal articles.
• Library Catalogue search guide.
• What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal?
• What is plagiarism?  Guide to common forms of plagiarism and how to avoid them.

Presentation skills

• Resources on developing your participation skills
• Resources to help you improve your presentation skills

Writing help

See the Student Learning Commons for expert and friendly help with academic writing, learning, and study strategies.