Human Rights and Social Justice
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- CQ Researcher
Simmons Eresource
CQ Researcher publishes weekly reports on issues in the news, and provides thorough and up-to-date coverage on various topics such as social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Each 12,000-word report includes an overview, chronology, pro/con statements, a bibliography, and more.
See specifically CQ Researcher'sHuman Rights Reports
- Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice
Level 1 Reference HM671 .E53 2007
This three-volume resource presents a multidisciplinary approach to important topics, people, events and theories, in civil engagement, social justice, and activism. A Reader's Guide helps locate related entries under broader topics like environmentalism and the political and social movements of different geographical areas.
- Human Rights Encyclopedia
Level 1 Reference JC571 .L523 2001
This resource is divided into two sections: Countries, and Issues and Individuals. Each country entry gives a brief historical, political and social overview, then an analysis of the human rights issues within the country; the topical entries are more varied in tone, length and coverage. The appendix contains important international human rights documents and resolutions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Human Rights Sourcebook
Level 1 Reference K3238 .H86 1987
A compendium of official human rights documents, this volume not only includes nearly all the human rights documents of the United Nations, but also a wide selection of other international and national treaties, judicial decisions, and human rights pronouncements.
- Human Rights Violations
Level 1 Reference JC571 .H783 2003
Covering important human rights events and atrocities from 1903 onwards, the entries in this resource are arranged in chronological order. Each entry gives ready-reference information like dates, places, people, and the types of rights violations that took place, as well as more detailed summaries of the event and of the event's historical significance and impact.
- Human Rights Watch World Report
Level 1 Reference JC571 .H785 2007 andFree Online, 1989-present
This publication is Human Rights Watch's annual review of human rights practices around the world. Organized by region, the entry for each surveyed country examines significant human rights issues, the work of local rights workers, and the response of key international actors such as the United Nations, European Union, and the United States.
- Hurisearch
Free Online
Hurisearch is a specialized search engine created by HURIDOCS, the Human Rights Information and Documentations Systems organization. The search engine searches over 4,400 human rights websites and filters out non-relevant content.
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
Simmons Eresource
The most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It publishes a wide range of scholarship that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs. All sections are updated monthly.
- Sociological Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
A key resource for finding published research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search.
- Social Sciences Index
Simmons E-resource
A database of abstracts and full-text articles from several social science publications. Updated weekly.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- AltPress-Watch
Simmons Eresource
Alt-PressWatch is a full text database of over 170 newspapers, magazines and journals of the alternative and independent press. It provides coverage, viewpoints and perspectives to complement and challenge the coverage of the mainstream media and serves a broad spectrum of subject areas including the arts, media and popular culture, business and labor studies, education, environmental studies and ecology, global studies, history, journalism, literary and critical studies, political science, government and public policy, social science and more.
- JSTOR
Simmons Eresource
JSTOR offers both multidisciplinary and discipline-specific collections. Provides full-text backfiles of many core scholarly journals, some dating back to the 1800s. However, JSTOR is not the database for current issues as it focuses on older journals.
- Project MUSE
Simmons Eresource
Offers nearly 250 quality journal titles from 40 scholarly publishers. As one of the academic community's primary electronic periodicals resources, Project MUSE covers the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. Project MUSE is setting the standard for scholarly electronic journals in the humanities and social science.
Searching the Web
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
