Research Guides: Social Sciences Research: Specialized Resources

Introduction to Specialized Resources

Social sciences research draws on a wide range of specialized sources that go beyond peer-reviewed journal articles or encyclopedias. These resources include original materials, scholarly interpretations, and contextual information. They are critical to understanding the individual, social dilemmas, economics, and political climates. Knowing which type of resource to use can shape and deepen your analysis.

Resource Type	What It Includes	Use in Research
Data & Statistics	Government data sets, public opinion polls, surveys, and longitudinal studies	Back arguments with empirical evidence; identify trends or gaps in data
Policy & Government Sources	Laws, bills, government reports, white papers, policy briefs	Understand regulations, institutional context, or policy impact related to your topic
News & Trade Publications	Credible journalism, magazines, and professional publications in your field	Track current issues, case studies, or debates in real time
Case Studies & Reports	In-depth studies of social phenomena, organizations, or programs	Explore real-world applications and implications of theories or interventions
Theoretical Frameworks	Seminal works, textbooks, and foundational authors/theorists (e.g., Foucault, Marx, Goffman)	Situate your argument within a recognized tradition of thought; interpret findings through a specific lens

Associations and Societies

Professional associations and societies play a crucial role in networking opportunities, professional development, advocacy, and many associations develop and promote industry standards. They are often the organizers of major conferences and events promoting new research.

Association / Society	Discipline / Focus	What It Offers
American Psychological Association (APA)	Psychology	Research databases, style guide, journals, ethical guidelines, career tools
American Sociological Association (ASA)	Sociology	Academic journals, annual meeting, careers in sociology, teaching and research support
American Economic Association (AEA)	Economics	Leading journals, policy resources, data archives, EconLit database access
Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM)	Public policy, program evaluation	Policy briefs, conference presentations, job listings, research network
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)	Social psychology, human rights, justice	Interdisciplinary research, policy impact, fellowships, teaching resources
Political Science Association (APSA)	Political science, governance, international relations	Journals, policy workshops, advocacy toolkits, political data and trends
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)	Social science data & methodology	Curated datasets, teaching modules, training in data analysis
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)	Personality, social behavior, behavioral science	Workshops, publications, career center, research methods resources
National Education Association (NEA)	Education policy, learning sciences	Policy reports, classroom tools, advocacy, educator professional development

Data & Statistics Sources

Data Source	Focus / Content	Use in Research
Pew Research Center	U.S. and global public opinion, social trends, media, politics, and demographics	Support arguments with public opinion data and identify trends in society and culture
ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research)	Curated datasets from social science disciplines: education, health, crime, and more	Download datasets for analysis or use published results to support evidence-based writing
U.S. Census Bureau	Population, income, housing, education, and business data across the U.S.	Use demographic and geographic data to support claims about social structures and inequality
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)	Employment, wages, labor market trends, occupational outlooks	Find up-to-date employment data, trends by industry, and economic indicators for policy or workforce research
CDC Data & Statistics	Health indicators, behavior data, disease surveillance, and public health trends	Use real-world health and risk data for sociology, psychology, or public policy topics
Statista	Global statistics and market data visualized in charts and graphs	Find clear, cited visual data for infographics or to illustrate a trend in a white paper

Open Data Repositories

Dryad
Dryad is a nonprofit membership organization that is committed to making data available for research and educational reuse now and into the future.
Harvard Dataverse
A free data repository open to all researchers from any discipline, both inside and outside of the Harvard community, where you can share, archive, cite, access, and explore research data. (Includes the data from other Dataverse repositories, e.g. UCSD)
Zenodo
Zenodo makes the sharing, curation and publication of data and software a reality for all researchers in the name of accessibility.
Figshare
Google Dataset Search
NJOIT Open Data Center
Data generated by the state of New Jersey is openly available to the public and can be accessed here.
Registry of Research Data Repositories

Trade Publications and Professional Magazines

What are trade publications?

Trade publications are professional resources that are essentially magazines written by professionals in a field for other professionals in the field. They do not go through the peer-review process the way traditional research articles do, but this means they are often more current in content and still provide important context to topics within a field.

Why use them?

Trade publications are still a vital resource in social sciences fields. They are an excellent source of background information on new and upcoming topics and can even lead you to those meatier research articles you will need for the rest of your research.

Below you will find some examples of trade publications, or where to find them, that are relevant to research in social sciences.

Publication	Focus / Audience	Use in Research & Teaching
Monitor on Psychology	Professional updates from the American Psychological Association	Summarizes scholarly research and highlights real-world applications of psychology
The Chronicle of Higher Education	Higher education policy, academic labor, faculty development	Great for exploring trends in college teaching, diversity, and university governance
Inside Higher Ed	University teaching, faculty issues, and institutional trends	Useful for education students or policy research related to access and equity in higher ed
Governing	Public administration, urban planning, and state & local government	Real-world case studies and policy analysis for government and public policy students
Social Work Today	Mental health, social justice, and direct practice for social workers	Provides insight into practice-based research and contemporary social issues
Foreign Policy	International affairs, diplomacy, and global security	Good for political science, global studies, or articles requiring a real-world context
The Economist	Global economics, politics, development, and culture	Provides macro-level data and commentary on global social and economic policy
Harvard Business Review	Management, workplace behavior, decision-making, leadership	Supports research in organizational psychology, economics, and applied sociology