Best Bets: Sociology Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of Sociology by ISBN: 0028648536Publication Date: 2000-11-16Also available in print: Hatcher Graduate Reference Room (2nd floor North) HM 17 .E51 2000
About Reference Works and Background Information
"The purpose of an encyclopedia is to summarize and codify knowledge in a given field. This is in contrast to a handbook, which offers essays on cutting-edge research in a field, or a dictionary, which provides short, to-the-point definitions of key concepts in a field."
Source: Sica, A. (2001). Encyclopedias, Handbooks, and Dictionaries. In N.J. Smelser & P.B. Baltes (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/00039-5. As cited in American Library Association. (2011). ALA Guide to Sociology & Psychology Reference. Chicago: Author.
Use reference materials to find background information. Reference books can help you:
- Explore a topic: find out what has been said about this subject, trends, issues, etc.
- Identify and define unfamiliar terms or people in your reading
- Find references to other books and articles on the subject
- Find specific keywords to use in online searches
Sociology Reference Works - General
21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook by ISBN: 9781412916080Publication Date: 2006-11-17"[F]ocus[es] on the corpus of knowledge garnered in traditional areas of sociological inquiry...document[s] the general orientation of the newer and currently emerging areas of sociological inquiry."
Annual Review of SociologyPublication Date: 1975-presentKey source of literature review articles.
"[C]overs the significant developments in the field of Sociology."
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology by ISBN: 9781444330397Publication Date: 2012-01-17A handbook presenting major topics and emerging trends.
Previous editions:
The Blackwell companion to sociology (2004) - Judith R. Blau (Editor)
The Blackwell companion to sociology (2001) - Judith R. Blau (Editor)
A Dictionary of Sociology by ISBN: 9780199533008Publication Date: 2009-02-15Additional print sociology dictionaries are listed in the Library Catalog under the subject Sociology Dictionaries.
Social Science Reference Works
International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences (2nd edition) by ISBN: 9780080970875Publication Date: 2015
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences by ISBN: 0080430767Publication Date: 2001Also available in print: Hatcher Graduate Reference Room (2nd floor North) H 41 .I581 2001
Social Theory Reference Works
Encyclopedia of Social Theory by Call Number: Online + Print (Hatcher Graduate — 1A North) HM 425 .E53 2006ISBN: 9780415290463Publication Date: 2006-02-15"Provides more coverage of schools of thought in social theory" than the Ritzer encyclopedia.
Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists by ISBN: 9781444330786Publication Date: 2011-05-06Also available in print: (Hatcher Graduate — 1A North) HM 478 .B583 2011
Find previous editions in the Library Catalog under the titles: Blackwell companion to major classical social theorists; Blackwell companion to major contemporary social theorists; Blackwell companion to major social theorists
Topical Reference Works
Reference Databases
Search across multiple subject specific encyclopedias and handbooks:
- U-M Library Articles Search This link opens in a new windowSearch across many reference books at once. Articles Search is a gateway to discovering a wide range of the library's resources.
***Refine search by format to "Reference"*** - SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new windowA searchable collection of e-books, reference books and documentary videos in the social sciences.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowProvides online access to over 1,500 reference works from Gale, Macmillan, and other publishers.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOver 400 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press.
- Online Index to Hatcher Graduate Library Reference Books This link opens in a new windowSearchable full text index to 7,500 print reference works shelved in the Hatcher Graduate Library.
Topical Handbooks in Sociology
Handbooks provide essays covering recent developments in particular disciplinary sub-topics. The term companion may also be used, as in the series Blackwell companions to sociology.
Search for relevant handbooks within a Reference Database or in the Library Catalog by entering the keywords handbook or companion, followed by your topic keywords. It may help to search for keywords in the title.
Examples of topical handbook titles include: The Wiley Blackwell companion to the sociology of families; Handbook of medical sociology; The Oxford handbook of ethnicity, crime, and immigration.
Topical Encyclopedias in Sociology
Topical encyclopedias cover specialized fields that overlap or are closely related to sociological inquiry.
Search for relevant encyclopedias within a Reference Database or in the Library Catalog by entering the keyword encyclopedia, followed by your topic keywords. It may help to search for keywords in the title.
Some relevant titles include:
The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization by ISBN: 9781405188241Publication Date: 2012-03-19
Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human DevelopmentISBN: 9780028661629Publication Date: 2008-11-10
Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West by ISBN: 9781412905503Publication Date: 2006-02-24
International Encyclopedia of Organization Studies by ISBN: 9781412915151Publication Date: 2007-08-28
Introductory Texts
The Forest and the Trees: Sociology as Life, Practice, and Promise by Call Number: multiple locations: e-book and printISBN: 9781439911884Publication Date: multiple editions available
Introducing Sociology (A Graphic Guide) by Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate - HM585 .N388 2016ISBN: 9781785780738Publication Date: 2016
Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective by Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate - HM 51 .B494ISBN: 9781453215401Publication Date: 1963
Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life by ISBN: 9780742559356Publication Date: multiple editions
Sociology: The Basics by Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate - HM585 .P58 2010ISBN: 9780415472067Publication Date: 2010
Browsing in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, in the HM call number section, for additional introductory level sociology texts.
Credit goes to Ken Plummer for his list of classic sociological introductions listed in the endnotes and further reading section of Chapter 1 in Sociology: The Basics. Additional recommendations for introductory textbook titles can be found there.