Library resources for students and researchers in social studies.
Faculty, PhD and master students at the Department of Social Studies can schedule an appointment for guidance in literature search or systematic searching.
Is something is missing in the library? Suggest literature or subscriptions for the library collection, and we will consider buying it.
Scientific knowledge is always based on research. Reliable and updated sources are key to achieve a good result.
Please contact me if you have any questions about the library resources for social studies at UiS.
Collection of sources
Academic resources and information relevant for social studies.
Academic texts are built on different sources. Sources can include research articles, statistics, reports, governmental documents, laws and much more.
The latest reserarch and insight is often published in academic journals. There are tens of thousands of academic journals worldwide. About 33 000 journals and publishers are quality checked and approved by the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers.
You can find an overview of the journals the library subscribes to in Oria. Use remote access to access the journals when you are not on campus.
Some recommended journals:
- British Journal of Social Work
- European Journal of Social Work
- Narrative Inquiry
- Child and family social work
- Social work
- Nordic social work research
- Journal of comparative social work
- Nordisk välfärdsforskning (Nordic Welfare Research - Scandinavian and English language)
Pro tip! Use Browzine to get easy access to the journals you need, and create a virtual bookshelf to keep you updated.
Search in Oria
The database Oria covers the content of all Norwegian academic libraries.
In Oria you can find books, e-books, journals, articles and more. You can search in English or Norwegian.
When you are connected to UiS Wifi you can open all electronic material through the «Available online» links. Remote access lets you access e-resources when you are note on campus.
Notice anything missing in the collection? Give a hint to your contact librarian!
Search for the book in Oria and find the location under "Get It" in the library.
The library uses the Dewey system to organize our books. The Dewey number lets you know he location of the book in the library.
How to read a Dewey number:
1. Find the exact numbers before the dot. (example 361.___)
2. Find the exact letters after the dot. (example 361.3)
3. When the numbers are correct, find the letters, organized in alphabetical order. (example 361.3 HEA)
Please ask at the help desk if you need help with finding the book.
Relevant books:
Books relevant for social studies will be located on various shelves in the library. Some relevant Dewey-numbers are:
- 150. - Psychology
- 300.72 – Research Methods
- 301 – Sociology and anthropology
- 344.03 - Justice: Social care
- 361.3 – Social work
- 362.7 – Child protective services
- 610 – Medicine and health
- 808.066 – Academic writing
Articles and journals
New research is often published as an article in a scientific journal. The library provides access to thousands of scientific journals from different fields of study.
Databases
Research is systemized and collected in databases.
A database collects and systemizes thousands of scientific articles and make them searchable. The library at UiS subscribes to many different databases. See the full overview here.
Most databases are behind pay-walls. To get access outside UiS you must first log on with remote access.
Multidisciplinary databases
Databases in:
Full overview of all databases available through UiS.
The only database for searching in Norwegian is Oria. Choose "All Norwegian Academic Libraries" to search all academic libraries in Norway. You can request any material it in Oria, even though it is not physically at UiS.
Systematic searching
A systematic search for literature is a comprehensive and well-planned search in databases and other relevant sources. The use of search terms and keyword synonyms are important. The goal is to find as much literature as possible within a chosen area or topic. The searches should be documented and replicable.
Employees, PhD-students and master students at UiS can book individual guidance in searching and systematic searching. Contact for any inquiries. To get the most of a session it is important that you arrive prepared.
Before searching:
- Define the key words for your search strategy
- Choose relevant databases
- Find relevant search terms: Subject terms, keywords
- Choose exclusion criterias
More about searching:
Links to relevant pages about systematic searching.
- PhD on Track
- Søk og Skriv: Systematic searching
- Cochrane handbook: Designing search strategies
- Norwegian Institute of public health : Systematic Reviews
- Helsebiblioteket: Kunnskapsbasert praksis (Norwegian)
- Rayyan: Screening tool useful to include or exclude search results for all types of reviews.
Writing assignments
Cite you sources - always!
The Department of Social Studies usually use the citation style APA 7th.
The Citation Compass (Kildekompasset) gives examples and explanations on how to quote/cite any type of source, both in-text and in the reference list. Covers both APA6 and APA7.
Former bachelor and master thesis can be found in the UiS archive Brage. You are welcome to look at these as inspiration, but please be aware that the grades can be from A to E.
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