Social Science Reference Sources: A Practical Guide - Hardcover

Li, Tze-chung

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313304831 ISBN 13: 9780313304835

Publisher: Greenwood, 2000

Synopsis

The social sciences continue to generate vast amounts of research, which is typically published in scholarly monographs and journal articles. This research, in turn, is summarized in a wide range of reference sources, such as bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and yearbooks. Now in its third edition, this essential guide provides entries for roughly 1,600 reference sources in the social sciences, including anthropology, business, economics, education, geography, history, law, political science, psychology, and sociology. Most titles published before 1980, which are listed in the second edition, have been excluded, while the present volume gives special attention to electronic resources, including more than 200 web sites.

The first part of the volume contains chapters on the social sciences in general, including discussions of available research tools. It also provides brief descriptions of the features and search methods of online vendors and reviews the specialized reference sources available in selected periodicals. The second part contains chapters on reference sources in particular social science disciplines. The first section of each chapter examines access to these sources through such tools as bibliographies, indexes, and abstracts, while the second looks at particular types of works, such as directories and encyclopedias. In most cases, entries are listed alphabetically under each heading and subheading, with full bibliographic information provided.

About this title

About the Author

TZE-CHUNG LI is Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University. He was formerly National Librarian for the Republic of China and is the author of numerous articles and several books, including An Introduction to Online Searching (Greenwood, 1985).

From Booklist

The longevity of this standard textbook for library-science students and guide for reference librarians is evidenced by its new edition. The first edition appeared in 1980, the second in 1990. The author is a longtime professor at Dominican University (formerly Rosary College) Graduate School of Library and Information Science. He is also author of An Introduction to Online Searching (Greenwood, 1985). The third edition is reduced to 495 pages from the 624 pages of the second edition and is "confined to references sources." Omitted now are chapters or sections "on the nature of the social sciences, bibliographic needs of social scientists, and unpublished materials," although some of this material has been integrated into other parts of the volume. Added to this edition are more than 200 Web sites and other digital sources. Also new is a chapter on serial publications such as bibliographies and directories, and periodicals that include such reference material as annual rankings. Around 1,600 sources are described, generally in bibliographic essays rather than in discrete entries. Although December 1998 was the general cutoff date, some 1999 titles are included. Most titles published before 1980 have been dropped. This edition retains the basic division into two parts--the first dealing with the social sciences in general, the second with particular disciplines. The standard traditional disciplines (business, education, law, etc.) are emphasized, with scant coverage of newer disciplinary configurations, including cross- or interdisciplinary fields. Area studies (African, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Slavic) are only briefly touched on in the chapters "Access to Sources" and "Sources of Information." None merit a separate entry in the subject index but only cross-references to a general area studies heading. The field of gay and lesbian studies is not even mentioned in the subject index. Women's studies gets cursory coverage in the chapter "Sociology."The work concludes with a separate list of Web sites and two indexes, one for authors and titles of cited sources and one for subjects. Only a few subject headings have more than the five undifferentiated page references recommended as maximum by the National Information Standards Organization.Libraries that have found this guide useful may want to obtain the new edition. The author suggests that the second edition be retained for many titles not listed in the third. REVWR
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Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0313304831
• ISBN 13: 9780313304835
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 528