State University of New York Institute of Technology
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SOC 350


SOC 350: Chemical Dependencies and Human Behaviors

1. WHAT ARE JOURNAL ARTICLES?
Journals cover new developments in scientific, scholarly and professional topics and have articles that are based on qualitative and quantitative research; therefore, journal articles typically supplement a lack of advertising and photographs with graphs and charts of data.

Journal articles are generally more in-depth and unbiased than articles from newspapers and magazines, which tend to cover news and current events, and journal articles almost universally cite references, where newspapers often deliberately do not identify their sources. There are several qualities that help identify journals:

  1. The word journal is in the title:
    For example, Journal of Drug Issues
  2. The journal is affiliated with an organization or association:
    For example, The Journal of the American Medical Association
  3. The title is unfamiliar:
    For example, Addiction Research & Theory
  4. Journals are generally not available at bookstores or grocery stores:
    For example, not one of the three examples above is available at a newsstand

2. SUNYIT'S E-JOURNALS

3. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO SEARCH DATABASES
There are usually two ways to search databases for articles: to search by word and to search by idea. To search by word is called keyword searching -- keyword just means important word. In keyword searching you determine your search terms; you have greater flexibility but you must try multiple searches using different spellings and synonyms in order to match all the variations authors could use. Consequently, you will get results not related to your idea. Alternatively, to search by idea is called subject searching. Subject searching is very organized and uses only librarian-determined terms; you find your terms --usually called Subject Headings or Descriptors -- and you search for them. Try using this procedure:

  1. Perform a keyword search using important terms that define your topic
  2. Find a good result and look at its Subject Heading
  3. Perform a subject search using the Subject Heading you found.

4. SELECTED WEB SITES

  1. 2007 New York State Statistical Yearbook
  2. 2009 Statistical Abstract
  3. Bureau of Justice Statistics
  4. MedlinePlus
  5. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
  6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration




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