Sociology 1001 Library Research Guide
Searching by Subject
- This section of the Sociology 1001 provides information on subject searching in the Library Catalogue and Electronic databases.
Most databases provide keyword searching. It is usually possible to find information on a topic using a keyword or words anywhere search. However a chosen search term will sometimes retrieve insufficient results, too many results or articles and books that do not clearly relate to your topic.
Online catalogues and electronic databases use subject headings or descriptors to describe the content of books and articles included within them. A book or article may be given one or several subject headings.
Some databases allow you search or map your term to a Thesaurus of subject headings or descriptors, others do not have this facility. Locating one or two key items on a topic will often allow you to locate additional items by checking subject headings and using these to locate further references.
The Library catalogue
- Example
- Baxter, Janeen
- Work at home : the domestic division of labour
- St Lucia, Qld. : University of Queensland Press, 1993.
- Includes the following subject headings
- Sexual division of labor Australia
- Work and family Australia
The subject headings Sexual division of labor Australia or Work and family Australia may retrieve additional references on a similar topic. In the catalogue the authors name will also appear as a hyperlink. Click on this link to find other articles by this author. The author may have written other books relating to your research topic. A list of useful subject headings is available in the Library catalogue subject headings section of this guide.
Electronic Databases
Searching Sociological Abstracts using the phrase poverty australia retrieves approximately ten articles. You may wish to find further references. The subject headings or key phrases may provide other terms for searching.
The initial results list displays a brief citation for an article. Click on complete reference to see subject headings. Click on the subject headings to search for the term you are interested in. Download the Researching Sociology handout for further information on subject searching and combining different search terms.
Example
| Dollery, Brian; Fletcher, Michael. Using Budget Constraints to Illustrate Poverty Traps: The Case of Young Part-Time Workers in Australia. [Abstract of Journal Article] Australian Journal of Social Issues, 1997, 322, May, 159-180 |
abstract || complete reference ||  |
Abstract In terms of unemployment, the problem of high effective marginal tax rates faced by young social security recipients in Australia wishing to engage in part-time employment, & the resultant emergence of so-called poverty traps, are examined, drawing on budget constraint analysis for unemployed 18-year-olds, both singles & couples, choosing part-time employment in four low-income occupations. Results indicate that pervasive disincentive effects exist for young people seeking low-wage employment. Data are discussed relative to leisure-labor choices & compared to 1987 social security data. 5 Tables, 1 Figure, 1 Appendix, 21 References. Adapted from the source document Sociological Abstracts, Inc., all rights reserved.)
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In this example the terms Australia and poverty have been used to describe an article on poverty in Australia. Other terms such as low income groups and Social Security could be used to search for additional references.
The Australian databases Family, ATSIROM, Apais etc.. also use subject headings. In these databases they are called descriptors.
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