The Sociological Literature
There is a huge database called Sociological Abstracts that covers the international journal literature, scholarly and professional, in the field broadly defined back to 1952. In addition, it will lead you to conference papers, theses/dissertations and some books. Take the time to read the tips for using it very thoughtfully to get the most out of it. It is delivered on the ProQuest platform. You may have searched other databases using that platform, but the language here could be different.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowThis database is a primary resource for accessing the latest research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serials publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Records added after 1974 contain in-depth and nonevaluative abstracts of journal articles. 1963-present. Updated monthly.
Tips for Searching Sociological Abstracts
TIP ONE: Before typing anything in those search boxes, make some choices in the area below the boxes. This includes critical things like DATES (The Roaring Twenties were interesting, but ...). This is also where you can specify you only want material in English and in peer-reviewed journals, for example.
TIP TWO: Use those search boxes and the Boolean AND to describe your topic. Stick to really important, unambiguous keywords. Separate synonyms/alternatives by using the OR or actually typing an OR. Put " " around phrases. Use the asterisk* to pick up variations on words ... even for a singular/plural. See the example below of a search for articles about refugees at the Mexican border:
TIP THREE: Notice that the little boxes to the right of the larger boxes where you type your terms have been changed from Anywhere to Anywhere except full text. This is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY important!
TIP FOUR: Click on the article titles that sound interesting and read the abstracts. Then, if you like it, capture the formatted APA or MLA or .... citation by clicking the 
button to the right of the title of the article.
TIP FIVE: Send yourself the fulltext and a PERMANENT LINK to items you like by using the EMAIL option. You can block-copy a stable document URL in the Abstract/Details view. Alternatively, you can mark individual records to put them in a Folder (in the bar at the top of the screen) to email as a group.