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Social Sciences: Journal articles

Subject guide for social science courses: criminology / sociology / social anthropology

Tutorials

The Welch Medical Library at John Hopkins University has produced two very good tutorials on running searches in PubMed.

Key Points

  • PubMed is based on Medline, which is one of the key health databases internationally

  • BU library resources will provide you with more full text journal content than PubMed

  • By default PubMed can only provide full text access to 'free' articles on the web

  • Many newly published 'free' articles will only be available through a university subscription for the first 3-24 months

  • PubMed does not automatically tell you if BU can provide access to a source

  • Access to BU subscribed full text via PubMed will often appear automatically on campus but not off campus

Searching for academic journal articles

The best way to undertake a successful search is to fill in a Search Planning Form before you start.
  • Peer reviewed journal articles form a key part of your research at university. As with books, you will find them on your reading lists but you will also need to search for them independently. Do not start and end your assessment research using Google Scholar. BU Library subscribes to subject databases that provide extra resources you will not get for free on the web.
  • EBSCOhost databases searches across a range of different databases for different source types.
  • We have lists of Sociology and Social Anthropology databases and Criminology databases that BU Library subscribes to, with descriptions about coverage, to help you identify relevant material.

 

Full text

  • Databases are designed to help you find what has been written, not just what is available in full text.
  • Always look out for the full text limiter (usually a tick box) which will narrow your search to just the content you are able to access immediately in full text.
  • Example: EBSCOhost full text limiter:

Full text and peer review options

Also consider using the 'Peer reviewed' filter.

  • Levels 6 and 7 doing dissertation research are eligible for free inter library loans through our inter library loan service (supplied to us via the British Library).

Google Scholar

What about using Google Scholar?

  • You may choose to use Google Scholar and that's ok, but do not start and end your research there.
  • BU Library has invested in LibKey Nomad, download it for your laptop or computer internet browser using this link: https://thirdiron.com/downloadnomad/ (PC only, does not work on phones or laptops).