Background/Reference Sources
Reference materials can be good resources for subject overviews and a means to collect useful keywords. The bibliographies frequently include key texts and thinkers that are associated with a specific subject. To discover more reference materials held in the Stanford Libraries, search Reference Universe, Searchworks, consult with a librarian, or browse the libraries' reference collections.
Tips for using reference sources:
1. Look at the cross-references that many entries provide. These can be helpful in pointing you toward a related or more accurate idea/term.
2. One of the most important elements of any good reference source entry is its bibliography. Take note of the books or articles that the entry's author deems elementary to understanding the individual or idea.
Selected Subject Search Terms using the Searchworks Catalog
click on these links to see catalog listings for these subjects.)
- Capital Punishment Look at the "Topics" box to see interesting sub-topics, like "Criminals"
- Violent Crimes
- Criminal Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Imprisonment United States
- Mass media and Crime
- White Collar Crimes
- Political Crimes and Offenses
- War Crimes
- Mafia
- Humanitarian Law
Databases
"Provides full-text for over 4,650 scholarly publications, more than 3,600 of them peer-reviewed. Includes topics in the social sciences, humanities, general science, education and most areas of academic study. Abstracts and indexing provided for 8,200 journals in the collection. Coverage is from 1965 to the present."
"Provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 700 international sources, each with its own distinctive focus offering diverse viewpoints on local, regional and world issues. Date coverage varies with individual newspaper. Also includes thousands of broadcast transcripts, newswires, video clips, and news blogs."
"Full text articles from newspapers and periodicals published by the ethnic, minority and native press in the U.S. Coverage is from 1960 to date."
"Contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business and law. "
"Access to more than 4,000 periodicals. Search from a highly-respected, diversified mix of scholarly journals, trade publications, and magazines covering over 150 academic disciplines."
"Abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers."
"Provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy."
Proquest Social Sciences Database--Searches across multiple social science subject databases. Among those included: Alternative Presses; Psycinfo; Sociological Abstracts; Social Services Abstracts; International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS); ERIC (Education); PAIS (Public Policy)."
