Getting to know your subject area
It would be a good idea to start by forming a general view of the subject in question. You will then learn the main facts and theories about the subject and become familiar with the terminology used.
Suppose that you want to know why well-educated immigrant women seldom occupy higher positions in the labour market.
Initial exploration
You can use the following for a good, initial exploration of your chosen subject:
- General encyclopaedias, such as The Social Science Encyclopaedia
- Subject encyclopaedias and dictionaries, such as the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (electronic version) or the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women or the Dictionary of Race Ethnicity and Culture
- Manuals and introductions that contain information about specific fields, such as the Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology or Handbook of Racial & Ethnic Minority Psychology. General introductions such as those by the authors, Fulcher and Scott, entitled Sociology, or by the author, Tony J. Watson, entitled Sociology, Work and Industry could prove very useful.
Reference copies of these types of publications are available in the Tinbergen room on the first floor of the University Library, in sections 70.00 (social sciences), 71.00 (sociology) and 85.50 (labour studies).
And further
Besides consulting reference works, you can also explore other avenues:
- by consulting experts (lecturers or other experts with considerable knowledge of the subject in question);
- the Internet (see the module entitled Searching the Internet);
- do a quick, general search in catalogues and databases (see Quick and dirty in the Search section of this module).
Tip: It is important that through subject exploration you learn to demarcate the subject. |
