What are secondary resources?
Secondary resources in the social sciences are information sources that provide an in-depth discussion of research on a topic or an overview of it. These resources are very useful for seeing the bigger picture as well as identifying important research that has been conducted in that subject domain. In sum, use secondary sources to:
- Define your topic
- Provide a general background in your topic
- Help identify important authors
- Lead to significant works
Using handbooks to find topics
What are handbooks?
Often times a particular topic gains ongoing scholarly interest that attracts the interest of a publisher or research organization. Authors who are known in the particular field of study are often asked to contribute chapters or to provide editorial oversight for these types of publications. Handbooks can provide a useful overview of the topic and help you identify some of the "movers and shakers" in that particular area of research.
Helpful Resources and Hints for Finding Handbooks
Video: Using LionSearch for Discovering Handbooks. LionSearch allows you to search multiple databases at one time. This video will demonstrate how to find articles from scholarly handbooks using the topic "poverty rates." Showing you how to:
- Start your search
- Limit your results
- Track key information for future searches
- Demonstrate how to cite the article using APA.
EL Lesson 2: Using LionSearch for Handbooks Video Transcript (Links to an external site.)
QUICK SEARCH TIP FROM THE VIDEO: use the advance search in the resource LIONSEARCH Type in the search terms you are looking for. For example: deviance OR "social control". In the next search box, but in the term "handbook" and change it from ALL FIELDS to TITLE.
- Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research Reviews This link opens in a new windowA set of scholarly handbooks from Oxford Publishing in various subject domains.
- SAGE Reference Online This link opens in a new windowA gateway to SAGE reference publications (encyclopedias and handbooks)
Selected handbooks: crime and law
- Oxford Handbook of Crime and Criminal Justice byPublication Date: 2011Keywords: American criminal justice system, policing, prosecuting, sentencing, community, institutional corrections, immigration, terrorism, racial profiling, parole
- The Oxford Handbook Crime Prevention byPublication Date: 2012Keywords: crime control, interventions, life chances of children, programs, policies, social conditions, institutions, physical environment, criminal offending, criminal justice system
- Routledge Handbook of Judicial Behavior byPublication Date: 2017Provides the most up to date examination of scholarship across the entire spectrum of judicial politics and behavior
Routledge Handbook of Social, Economic, and Criminal Justice by Publication Date: 2018Keywords: Development Studies, Environment, Social Work, Urban Studies, Health and Social Care, Law, Social Sciences- Sex Offenses and Sex Offenders byPublication Date: 2016Keywords: assessment, offender, sex crimes, treatment, victims, violence
- The Oxford Handbook of White-Collar Crime byPublication Date: 2016Keywords: white-collar crime, corporate crime, white-collar criminology, white-collar offenders, opportunity, deterrence, rational choice, compliance, regulation
- The Oxford Handbook of the History of Crime and Criminal Justice byPublication Date: 2016Keywords: criminal justice history, police history, prison history, historical crime trends, historical methods, crime in popular culture
- The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing and Corrections byPublication Date: 2012Keywords: mass incarceration, collateral effects, sentencing theories, applications, correctional options
- The Oxford Handbook of Prisons and Imprisonment byPublication Date: 2018Keywords: prisons, prisoners, conditions of confinement, inmates, prison staff, prison programs
- The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime byPublication Date: 2014Keywords: organized crime, criminal groups, mafia, Yakuza, drug cartels, women, money laundering, arms trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime
- The Oxford Handbook of Offender Decision Making byPublication Date: 2017Keywords: crime, offenders, decision making, rational choice, impulsivity, emotion, cognition, morality
- The Oxford Handbook of Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice byPublication Date: 2011Keywords: delinquency, adolescent development, juvenile justice systems, youth crime, victimization, micro-social level, macro-social level, juvenile court, mental health, detention
- Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration byPublication Date: 2013Keywords: race, ethnicity, crime, ethnic minorities, immigration, immigrants, politics, criminal justice, victimization, racialization
- The Oxford Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Crime byPublication Date: 2014Keywords: crime, gender, sex, violence, intersectionality
- The Oxford Handbook of Environmental Criminology byPublication Date: 2018Keywords: modern environmental criminology, neighborhood-effects approach, crime, disorder, community, criminological research, offending, location
- The Oxford Handbook of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology byPublication Date: 2018Keywords: criminology, criminal behavior, marriage, education, employment, offending, problem behavior, criminal justice, psychology, sociology
- The Oxford Handbook of Criminological Theory byPublication Date: 2013Keywords: crime, criminological theory, criminology, Cesare Lombroso, imprisonment, perceptual deterrence theory, parenting, market economy, immigration, psychology of criminal conduct
Selected handbooks: general deviance
Routledge Handbook on Deviance by ISBN: 9781315648057Publication Date: 2017-10-12The Routledge Handbook on Deviance brings together original contributions on deviance, with a focus on new, emerging, and hidden forms of deviant behavior.
The Handbook of Deviance by ISBN: 9781118701386Publication Date: 2015-07-24The Handbook of Deviance is a definitive reference for professionals, researchers, and students that provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the sociology of deviance.- Routledge Handbook of Deviant Behavior byISBN: 9780203880548Publication Date: 2012-04-27The Handbook of Deviant Behavior presents a comprehensive, integrative, and accessible overview of the contemporary body of knowledge in the field of social deviance in the twenty-first century.
- The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression byISBN: 0511816847Publication Date: 2012-06-05From a team of leading experts comes a comprehensive, multidisciplinary examination of the most current research including the complex issue of violence and violent behavior.
- The Handbook of Social Control byISBN: 9781119372370Publication Date: 2019-01-11The Handbook of Social Control offers a comprehensive review of the concepts of social control in today's environment and focuses on the most relevant theories associated with social control.
Using encyclopedias to find topics
What is wrong with using Wikipedia?
Nothing is wrong with using Wikipedia as long as you understand its limitations, particularly as it relates to academic research. Information on Wikipedia is contributed freely by anyone who wants to post information without any consideration for the authority or credibility of the author.
Does this mean that all of the information on Wikipedia is inaccurate? No, it simply means that you need to be more cautious about the information and recognize that this is a dynamic resource that changes over time. Consequently, it is not good practice to cite Wikipedia entries in academic research, but Wikipedia can be a great resource as you begin to explore a topic or to settle a bet with your roommate.
Helpful Resources and Hints for Finding Articles in Encyclopedias
Video: Gale Virtual Reference is a collection of over 1000 scholarly and general reference resources. This video will demonstrate how to find articles using the topic "fertility rates." Showing you how to:
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Limit your search
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Expand your search
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Point out some of the important features of an article to keep in mind
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Explore information about the encyclopedia
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Demonstrate how to cite the article using APA.
EL Lesson 3: Library Search Gale Virtual Reference Video Transcript (Links to an external site.)
- Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new windowThis is a direct link to Gale Virtual Reference. Please watch the video "Using Gale Virtual Reference" first. GVR is a collection of over 1000 scholarly and general reference resources.
- International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (First Edition) This link opens in a new windowSeminal encyclopedia in the social sciences.
Selected Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia of Social Deviance byPublication Date: 2014Drawing contributions from across the social and behavioral sciences, including sociology, anthropology, criminology, politics, psychology, and religion, this work introduces readers to the lively field of rule-making and rebellion that strikes at the core of what it means to be an individual living in a social world.
- Hate Crime: Impact, Causes & Responses byPublication Date: 2015Discussions of international perspectives and contemporary topics such as online hate and cyberbullying, as well as numerous case studies covering issues such as lone wolf extremists, Islamophobia, asylum seekers and the far right.
- Encyclopedia of White-Collar and Corporate Crime byPublication Date: 2013
- The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies byPublication Date: 2016Examines and explores the lives and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals, focusing on the contexts and forces that shape their lives.
- The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies byPublication Date: 2021Entries address a wide range of topics, from broad concepts (e.g., the criminal justice system, activism, mental health), to specific subjects (e.g., the trans pride flag, the Informed Consent Model, voice therapy), to key historical figures, events, and organizations (e.g., Lili Elbe, the Stonewall Riots, Black Lives Matter).
- Encyclopedia of Deception byPublication Date: 2014Examines lying from multiple perspectives drawn from the disciplines of social psychology, sociology, history, business, political science, cultural anthropology, moral philosophy, theology, law, family studies, evolutionary biology, philosophy, and more.
- Encyclopedia of Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery byPublication Date: 2008The scope includes behavioral addictions such as eating disorders, gambling, and compulsive shopping.
- Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness: An A-to-Z Guide byPublication Date: 2014How differing cultures treat mental illness and, in turn, how mental health patients are affected by the culture.
- The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology byPublication Date: 2017More than 1,400 entries will provide information on fundamental approaches and theories, various mental health disorders, assessment tools and psychotherapeutic interventions, and the social, legal, and cultural frameworks.
Research Methods
- SAGE Research Methods Core This link opens in a new windowResearchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings.