Start Your Research
- Start Your Research This link opens in a new window
Search multiple databases and different types of content together. Databases searched include the library's catalog, Texas State Digital Collections repository, and many but not all Texas State licensed databases.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Searches scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports.
Suggested Databases
Databases come from the Multicultural & Gender Studies, Sociology & Law and Government subjects on the main databases page.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowCriminology & related disciplines, crime trends, crime prevention and deterrence, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, police, courts, punishment and sentencing. International coverage, 1910-present.
- Criminal Justice Database This link opens in a new windowTheoretical and practical material for both scholars and those in criminal justice related fields. 1981 to present.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
News, culture, and history from 300 publications of ethnic, minority, and native presses. 1990-present.
- Homeland Security Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Documents from the federal, state and local governments; international governments and institutions; nonprofit organizations and private entities. Coverage varies.
- Latino American Experience This link opens in a new windowExplores the rich heritage and current culture of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, Cubans, Dominicans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, and other Hispanic cultures in the United States. Content is in English and Spanish. Dates vary.
- Legal Source This link opens in a new windowIndexes scholarly articles, court decisions, legislation, books and other material on criminal justice and multiple areas of law. Indexing from 1901, full text from 1964-present.
- Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window
Documents three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights in America through the eyes and work of sociologists, activists, psychologists, teachers, ministers, students and housewives.1928-1976
- Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new windowCovers all subject areas but particularly strong in social studies. Most journals provide access from volume 1 to present.
- Sociology Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive scholarship on sociology and related fields (anthropology, criminology, etchnic studies, gender studies, social psychology, substance abuse, urban studies). 1895-present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers in sociology and related fields. International in scope. 1952 to present. Simultaneous user limit is 8.
- Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Journal articles and book reviews in the social sciences (anthropology, economics, education, philosophy, political science, law, and sociology). 1983-present
Tips for Finding Empirical Research
Only a few databases have a simple methods to locate empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss others. Consider using terminology recommended by the Criminal Justice Abstracts and Sociological Abstriace subject indexes.
Some useful keywords to add to your search are:
- Case Studies
- Empirical Methods
- Empirical Research
- Ethnography
- Experiments
- Fieldwork
- Grounded Theory
- Interviews
- Qualitative Methods
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Methods
- Quantitative Research
- Surveys
- Research