Sociology and Politics

In academic and professional writing, it is essential to support your discussions and arguments with reliable, published sources. Personal opinions such as 'I believe...' are not sufficient on their own: you must back up your claims with credible, relevant evidence from appropriate sources..

Such evidence often takes the form of a journal article. These sources are typically found using research databases and, in some cases, through platforms like Google Scholar or Library Search. Using these resources ensures you access high-quality, relevant information. The Library provides these databases in collaboration with your lecturers and academic staff, helping you find the most appropriate materials for your subject area.

So it is important that you understand why you need to use these sources, develop your skills and knowledge of how research is published, and which resources are most applicable to your subject areas.

Journal articles are one of the key places where new research is published. Articles are written by experts and practitioners in that field of research.

Articles are published in academic journals; like magazines,  journals will publish several new issues a year, each issue contain several articles. They have several functions:

• To share original research; 
• To review previously published research;
• To discuss theoretical concepts within a particular field of research.

Journal articles have some defining features:

• Typically focus on one very specific topic;
• Have a structured format, usually consisting of abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion and conclusions. This similarity to the formats for dissertations and projects can be helpful inspiration for structuring your own research work;,
• Some articles will be peer-reviewed by other experts in that field prior to publication: this helps screen out errors and flaws, and so peer-reviewed articles are among the more reliable sources available.

It is important to scan key journals in your subject area to keep up to date. The Articles in Press feature displays the most current articles before they have been officially given a volume and issue number. When you have selected a journal, Articles in Press appears on the left, just below the journal cover image.

In the course of searching these specialist resources, you may find articles that we do not have access to in our Library collection. If this happens, we can get the articles for you through our Document Supply Service.

This link is the information about how to use the Document Supply Service at Sheffield Hallam.

• Document Supply Service

These sites provide access to information from government bodies and relevant organisations.