Resources for Sociology

Recommended Websites

American Psychiatric Association
Website of the world's largest psychiatric organization whose "member physicians work together to ensure human care and effective treatment of all persons with mental disorders." Includes information for students, physicians, researchers and the public.
American Psychological Association
The website of the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, whose "mission is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives."
American Psychological Association: APA Style
American Psychological Association: Psychology Help Center
American Psychological Association: Psychology Topics
Careers in Psychology
Includes an extensive database of careers in all fields of psychology as well as a collection of interviews with experts in the field.
Careers in Psychology: Database
Careers in Psychology: Interviews
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mental Health
Includes mental health information, data and statistics.
Codes and Standards for Using Tests
Professional standards, codes and guidelines that address psychological testing and assessment practices. From the Buros Center for Testing.
Encyclopedia of Psychology
Provides access to information in numerous areas of psychology
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
an agency within the National Institutes of Health
PsychWeb
Psychology related information for students and teachers
Resources for Teaching Social Psychology
An annotated collection of links to resources and ideas for teaching social psychology and related course. Organized by topic.

Evaluating Non Scholarly or Web-Based Sources

A resource can still be credible even if it isn't scholarly. There are several questions you can ask to determine whether a non-scholarly source or website is reliable and appropriate to use in your research.

Purpose: What is the purpose of the source? Is it to educate and inform, or to persuade?
Authority: Who is the author of the resource? What are her or his credentials?
Accuracy: Is the information presented factually accurate? Does the resource list or link to its sources?
Timeliness: How current is the information? When was it last updated?
Scope: Does the source present information in an overly simplistic way, or does it seem more deeply engaged with its subject matter?