Step 1: Start with Reference for Definitions & Introductions 

Search:

Type in a social science academic discipline, such as psychology or a narrower field within a discipline, such as social psychology.

• Browse the titles list for articles about the discipline.
• Click on a title to read.
• If you started with a general discipline, you may also find a more focused subfield within a broad discipline to study.
• Look at more than one article. Different sources will provide different information.

Browse:

Instead of doing a search, BROWSE the broad collection of encyclopedias within the Social Sciences (link below) to find and browse within specific encyclopedias. 

Step 2: Find the Professional Conversation 

Every field of study, from Anthropology to Zoology, has professional organizations and publications that help members stay current in their field. 

Looking at professional literature is a good way to find news briefs on issues impacting the profession, short articles about current research, and professional development opportunities. In other words, they can be a means to see what that field is currently discussing and considers important.  

How do you find the Professional Conversation? 

Strategy 1: Search the Web

Probably the easiest way is simply to search the Web. Try a range of searches that capture aspects of your field. For example: 

• psychology professional organizations
• professional organizations for social psychology

Strategy 2: Explore a Career Database 

Create an account in GRC's Career Planner. 

Find a career related to your disciplinary focus. Learn about what behaviors, traits and skills are valued by this community.

Click on the Resources tab to find resources, including professional organizations, in that field.  

• Using the menu on the left, you can search for career information using a simple keyword, as shown in the image below. Or search by larger career fields, interest areas, and personality types, and more.
• Each career summary includes information on career duties, requirements, training, wages, employment outlook, and links to resources like career associations and more. You can also see a list of related careers. 

(click on image to enlarge)

Step 3: Survey Scholarly Journals in the Discourse Community

Use the Holman Library One Search to explore scholarly journals in the field of study.

1. Click on a journal title to find the scope, a statement on the focus, range of topics, and types of research published by that journal.
2. Also check to see if the journal is peer reviewed and consider what that says about the values of that discourse community.
3. Click on specific journals and review the Table of Contents of current issues to get a sense of the topics investigated and questions asked within that discipline.

Find Journals in Library Databases 

1. Start at the Holman Library All Journals List
2. Scroll down the menu on the list and click on Social Science and Behavioral Science.
3. Scroll through the menu on the left again, this time choosing the academic discipline you want to explore. 
4. In my image below, I clicked on Psychology, and to the right I see All Journals, from Applied Psychology through Sports Psychology if I keep scrolling to the bottom of the list. 

• If I select Sports Psychology as my starting point, I can browse journal titles in the field, clicking on any to view the Table of Contents and a list of current topics being researched in that field of study. In the example below, I opened the Table of Contents for the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity.

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Learn more about the Scholarly Journal 

Learn more about a journal by typing its name into the Holman Library One Search and reading about its aims and scope on the journal homepage. 

The image below for the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity shows an excerpt on the journal's scope. I clicked on the About tab to find it.

(click on image to enlarge)