WS 400 - Activism
Research Resources
Getting Started
Encyclopedias are a great way to get background information on a topic. There are several specialized encyclopedias related to social movements:
Encyclopedia of American Activism 1960 to present - JK1764 .D53 1998 Main Reference
Encyclopedia of Social Movements - HN57 .E594 2004 Main Reference
Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict - HM291 .E625 1999 Main Reference
Protest, Power, and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from ACT-UP to Women's Suffrage - HM278 .P76 1997 Main Reference
Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change - electronic book
To find other encyclopedias related to the specific social movement you're researching, search the library catalog by Subject. For example, search for Capital Punishment-Encyclopedias, Environmentalism-Encyclopedias.
Another good source for background information is CQ Researcher Plus Archive. This resource provides complete summaries, pros and cons, and bibliographies of many different issues/topics. The archive goes back to 1923.
Books
To find books on your topic, do a subject search in the library catalog, for example:
Environmentalism
Animal welfare OR animal rescue OR animal rights
Consumer protection
To find books generally about social movements, do a subject search with the search terms Social Movements.
Articles
To find scholarly articles on your topic, you'll need to search in indexes to articles, or databases. One main database you should start with is Sociological Abstracts. This database includes citations to articles in sociology-related journals, as well as citations to dissertations and conference proceedings. You can limit your search to peer-reviewed journals.
There are other subject-specific databases you'll want to search, based on your topic. See a list of databases by subject. Some subjects include Education, Gender Studies, Political Science, Public Policy, etc.
Other Resources
Other resources you may find useful for studying and understanding the social movement you're researching include:
Primary Sources
Contemporary and selected historical images from the archive of the Associated Press.
This list of databases includes access to articles from current newspapers, as well as historical newspaper databases, that in some cases go back to the 1600s. Read about events as they unfolded.
Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000
Collections of original documents relating to women's involvement in major social movements.
Polls and Statistics
Compilation of more than 14,000 surveys conducted by over 1000 polling organizations in the United States and 100 other countries from 1986 to the present time.
Statistics Resource Finder: United States
Listing of print and electronic sources for statistics covering topics such as demographics, economics, historical, etc.
Search Tips
Think of similar search terms to broaden your search. For example, I might search on "environmental activism" OR "environmental movement." This search would look for either of these phrases, to expand my possible search results.
If your topic is very broad, you'll want to think of additional terms to add to your search to narrow it down. What do you want to focus on about your particular social movement? For example, I might be interested in the environmental movement on campuses, or women's involvement in the environmental movement. Changing my search to "environmental activism" AND women will narrow my search results.
Look at the bibliographies of the resources you find to get ideas for other articles and books to use.
As noted in the description for your final project, if you don't find much information on your specific movement, "think about what kinds of activism are similar to what you're studying and read widely."
Citing Sources
It is very important to cite your sources of information to acknowledge and give credit to someone else's words or ideas and to allow a reader to consult the sources you used in your research. The UA Library's Citation Guide provides examples of how to cite books, articles, Web sites, and other sources using different citation styles like MLA, APA, and Chicago. Also see Research and Documentation Online for more examples.
The UA Library subscribes to RefWorks, a great tool for storing and managing your references online and for formatting your bibliography. For more information, see the RefWorks Guide.
Research Assistance
If you have questions or need assistance with your research:
Go to the Information Commons Reference Desk in the Information Commons of the Main Library. The reference desk is staffed all hours that the Main Library is open!
OR Call the Information Commons Reference Desk at 621-6442.
OR Use Ask-a-Librarian Chat Reference service online
OR If you need more in-depth research assistance, make an appointment with the Women's Studies Librarian.