Exploring the Library's Collections
On this page: Suggested e-book collections and databases, finding scholarly journals, how to check out physical books, and links to search tutorials and advice.
If you'd like additional help with your search, this page includes an embedded link to the library's online chat reference service.
You may also search the library's catalog without leaving this guide by entering your terms in the box below:
Electronic Books: Social Sciences
- EBSCO eBooks The eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) contains a large selection of ebook titles representing a broad range of academic subjects, including arts and humanities, business, literature, social sciences, sciences, and technology. Books range in audience level from basic introductory texts to scholarly monographs. *Books can be read online in your web browser or can be checked out and downloaded for offline reading. Checking out and downloading a book requires creating a My EBSCOhost account and installing Adobe Digital Editions.
- Oxford Scholarship Online Oxford Scholarship Online is a collection of over 18,000 ebooks published by Oxford University Press. Subjects include biology, business and management, classical studies, economics and finance, history, law, linguistics, literature, mathematics, music, palliative care, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, public health and epidemiology, religion, social work, and sociology.
- ProQuest Ebook Central ProQuest Ebook Central contains over 200,000 ebooks from various publishers across a wide range of academic disciplines. The collection includes books from major university presses and other scholarly publishers. *Books can be read online in your web browser or can be checked out and downloaded for offline reading. Checking out and downloading a full book requires creating a ProQuest account and installing Adobe Digital Editions.
- SpringerLink SpringerLink is the platform for journals and ebooks published by Springer. Rutgers subscribes to over 1000 full-text journals and owns over 60,000 ebooks on SpringerLink. A variety of subjects are represented, including behavioral science and psychology, biomedical and life sciences, business and management, chemistry and materials science, computer science, earth and environmental science, economics and finance, education, energy, engineering, intelligent technologies and robotics, mathematics and statistics, medicine, physics and astronomy, and professional and applied computing. Rutgers University Libraries’ ebooks and journals on the SpringerLink platform can also be found in QuickSearch.
Checking Out or Requesting Books
Checking out print books: Books that are only available in print can be requested for no- or low-contact pickup through our Click and Collect service.
Accessing e-books: Books available in our digital collections can be accessed with your usual NetID credentials. Please note that some books may have restrictions on the number of concurrent users. If you have any trouble accessing digital resources, please contact the library.
Requesting items from other libraries: If Rutgers does not have the resource you need, we may be able to borrow it through EZBorrow, UBorrow, or ILL. Details, including delivery times, can be found on our page How do I request an Interlibrary Loan?
Finding Journals
BrowZine is a new service at Rutgers--it's an easy way to find, browse, and save journals or articles of interest. Available both online and as an app, you can follow, save, and organize your favorite journals and articles on any device.
Quicksearch will return a complete list of the library's holdings--search by title or subject. If searching by subject, be sure to use the filter menu to narrow your results to journals.
Social Sciences Databases
This list suggests several relevant databases, but Rutgers subscribes to many more that may be of interest. A full list may be found here, organized by subject and title.
- APA PsycInfo APA PsycInfo is an index of scholarly literature in behavioral sciences and mental health fields. It is relevant to the study of psychology and related fields, such as psychiatry, management, business, education, social science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and social work. It indexes book chapters, books, dissertations, technical reports, and articles from over 2,000 journals.
- Psychiatry Online PsychiatryOnline is a powerful website that features the DSM Library and The American Journal of Psychiatry as the cornerstones of an unsurpassed collection of psychiatric references, including books, journals, and self-assessment tools. The DSM Library is the most widely used psychiatric reference in the world. Much more than individual titles, PsychiatryOnline features sophisticated searching and indexing tools that enable you to quickly target all the information you need.
- ProQuest Social Science Premium Collection The ProQuest Social Science Collection abstracts and indexes over 10,000 titles in the social sciences, while also providing access to over 1,800 scholarly journals. A majority of the titles are published outside of the United States. This resource is both international and interdisciplinary in scope.
- Family and Society Studies Worldwide Family & Society Studies Worldwide is an index of research, policy, and practice literature in the fields of family science, human ecology, human development, and social welfare. The database has an international perspective, and citations are drawn from a wide range of social science disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, health sciences, demography, education, economics, law, social work, and history. Document types indexed include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, discussion materials, government reports, statistical documents, theses and dissertations, and working papers.
- PTSDPubsThe PTSDpubs database is an electronic index to the worldwide literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health consequences of exposure to traumatic events. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Google Scholar When you use the search box on the linked page, you will see a "Get it @ R" link next to every resource available from Rutgers University Libraries. You will also see "Get it @ R" links when using Google Scholar while logged into the on-campus network. If you are using Google Scholar off campus, in order to see "Get It @ R" links, either 1) use the search box on this page, or 2) configure Google Scholar to display "Get it @ R" links by customizing your library links settings.
- Web of Science Web of Science indexes leading scholarly journals, books, proceedings, reports, and other formats. Its major subject areas include sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. The heart of the platform is the Web of Science Core Collection, which indexes over 20,000 scholarly journals and includes over 1 billion cited references. Indexing for each work in the Core Collection includes its authors, author affiliations, and cited references. In addition to the Core Collection, Web of Science provides access to several regional, subject, and format-specific databases.
Searching Databases
Using a database can seem intimidating, especially because the interface is so different from our everyday searches. Databases are powerful tools, though, and it only takes a short time to learn their logic.
The library offers a set of videos, tutorials, and quizzes to help you get started:
- Search Tips and Tricks: Boolean Operators and Search PunctuationHave you ever seen the words "AND," "OR," or "NOT" in between search terms in a database search? What about an asterisk (*) where a letter ought to be? This handout breaks down these search tricks and more so that you can more effectively search for sources from scholarly databases!
- Searching for InformationCovers choosing a database, figuring out keywords, and how to use Boolean operators.
- Search Tips & Strategies (excerpted from NB Social Work Research Guide)Dr. Hartman's detailed guidance on developing and conducting a database search.