Since your topics potentially overlap in a number of different fields, be sure to look at the Research Guides for related disciplines to find other places to search. The Guide to Sociology will be especially useful. You can also try some of the recommended databases below.
When you have a source with a bibliography, you can see if a particular article from the bibliography is available by looking the journal's name up at the link below. Then you can use the volume and date information to navigate to the article. If we don't have access to that journal, we usually can get it from another library.
Please read the database description prior to searching, as some databases have international coverage, some focus on political science research, and some will cover sociology. Different databases will work differently depending on your topic. Consult the Search Tips tab (above) for ideas on how to generate good search terms.
Once you've identified an interesting article, look to see if the full text is there. If not, follow these steps:
If an article is not available in full text or in print, request it through interlibrary loan, using your Gustavus account login to identify yourself. This generally means it will be scanned in for you at another library. An e-mail message will be sent to you with a URL and pin number to retrieve it. Though these scanned articles are sometimes are available within 24 hours, they can take longer. Plan ahead.
Sometimes you come across a footnote with an article that looks interesting. You don't need to turn to a database to find it. Check the title of the magazine or journal (not the article title) from the journal locator. If it is not available to us at Gustavus, log in to your library account and fill out an interlibrary loan request.
As you can see, tracking down the hard copies of materials can be tricky! Use the Tracking Down Materials tab for more information. Or contact a librarian directly.
