SOC4025 : Qualitative Research

Finding Book Reviews

Use the article databases list above to search for book reviews written by scholars in the field.

• Search by keyword for the book title or a topic
• Use quotation marks "" around the book title to search it as a phrase
• Use AND to add "book review" to your keyword search
• Or, limit your search by Document Type (or similar, depending on the database) to Review

General Tips for Searching Library Databases

• Keep track: Search multiple library research databases for your topic & keep a list of the databases and search terms you used, that way you'll know what you already tried and where you had success!

• Combine search terms with AND/OR/NOT
  • OR –  to broaden a search
  • AND – AND to narrow
  • NOT- exclude a term from your search

• Use limiters or filters in a library database to narrow your search by:
  • Date
  • Document Type (review, etc.)
  • Source Type (scholarly journal, magazine, etc.)
  • Peer Review (available in some databases)

• Is it peer reviewed?
  • Use the database "Peer Review" filter, if available.
  • Remember that primary sources and articles from popular magazines are not peer reviewed.
  • Look at the "About" or Submission Guidelines section of the journal to find information about their review process.

• Trace the Literature: Use an article’s reference list to find additional articles & use a citation database/index (like Web of Science or Google Scholar) to find a list of more recent articles that have cited a given article.

Feeling stuck or don't know where to start? Email your librarian or use our chat service!

Print and eBooks are included in the SLUth Search Plus database, but if you'd like to search them separately, you can use the SLU Libraries Catalog.

If SLU Libraries don't have the book you're looking for, you can search the MOBIUS catalog. This will search 70+ academic & public libraries in the Midwest. Books are delivered via courier, and usually arrive in 3-5 business days.

If you can't find a book via SLU Libraries or MOBIUS, you can place an Interlibrary Loan request for it. Print books usually take 2-3 weeks to arrive.