It is helpful to consult subject-specific dictionaries when you need to understand the
terminology that is used in a particular discipline.
The best way to locate subject-specific dictionaries in a library's catalog is to do a
keyword search by
combining a term related to your topic with the truncated phrase "dictionar*" (for example,
psychology dictionar* or social work dictionar*). If you do a
subject
search, you will need to put the term "dictionaries" at the end of your subject term (for
example, Psychology--Dictionaries).
Following is a selected list of print and online dictionaries related to the social sciences.
Clicking on the title of one of the print entries will take you to the Case Western Reserve
University online catalog entry. You may also find it useful to check out this site's section on
thesauri for
information on choosing concepts and synonyms.
Harris Library & Case Holdings
Note: Please click on the link to the
Library Catalog for call number, location, and
availability.
Accardo, P .J. (1996).
Dictionary of developmental
disabilities terminology. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.
Agnes, M. (Ed.-in-chief). (2002).
Webster's New World college
dictionary (4th Ed., [updated]). Cleveland, OH: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Barker, R. L. (2003).
Social work dictionary (5th ed).
Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Bolaffi, G. (Ed.) (2003).
Dictionary of race, ethnicity and
culture. London; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Campbell, R. J. (1996).
Psychiatric dictionary (7th ed.).
New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Calhoun, C. (Ed.). (2002).
Dictionary of the social
sciences. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Corsini, R.J. (1999).
Dictionary of psychology.
Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel.
Feldesman, W. (2000).
Dictionary of eldercare
terminology (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD : National Information Services Corp.
Hersen, M., & Bellack, A. S. (Eds.). (1988).
Dictionary of behavioral assessment
techniques. New York: Pergamon Press.
Hopkins, B. R. (1994).
Nonprofit law dictionary. New
York: Wiley.
Johnson, A. G. (1995).
The Blackwell dictionary of sociology:
a user's guide to sociological language. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell. [
Also available online.]
Moskowitz, H. S. (1993).
The new illustrated book of
development definitions. New Brunswick, NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research.
Rosenthal, H. (2003).
Human services dictionary. New York:
Brunner-Routledge.
Sauber, S. R. et al. (Eds.). (1993).
The dictionary of family psychology
and family therapy (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Schwandt, T. A. (2001).
Dictionary of qualitative inquiry
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Smith, D. H., Stebbins, R. A., & Dover, M. A. (2006).
A dictionary of nonprofit terms and
concepts. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
***New***
Spicker, P., Leguizamon, S. A., & Gordon, D. (Eds.). (2007).
Poverty: An international glossary
(2nd ed.). London; New York: Zed Books; distributed by Palgrave Macmillan.
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Online Dictionaries
American Heritage Dictionary Of The English Language (4th ed.)
Take a look at this online lexicon! This site is a dictionary, encyclopedia, and thesaurus
all "rolled into one." A new feature just added is the
audio word pronunciations available when using the dictionary. Type in a word and
listen to the pronunciation.
Medline PLUS Medical Dictionaries
A service of the National Library of Medicine this site includes a variety of dictionaries,
encyclopedias and other sources covering a variety of health, medical, and drug related
information.
Mental Health Dictionary
.
This online dictionary is the work of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration's (SAMHSA) National Mental Health Information Center.
Merriam-Webster Online
Your standard desktop dictionary turned into an online electronic version. Also included at
this site is the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus. A new feature just added is the
audio word pronunciations available when using the dictionary. Type in a word and
listen to the pronunciation. Want to increase your vocabulary? Don't forget to
check out the
Word of the Day when you visit.
Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences
Produced by Athabasca University in Canada, this social science dictionary has 1000 entries
covering the disciplines of sociology, criminology, political science, and women's studies with a
commitment to Canadian examples and events and names.
WWW Virtual Library
This site lists a variety of general and specialized dictionaries including foreign
languages. Additional online sources covered are encyclopaedias, almanacs, directories,
biographical, geographical, and statistical information sources.
Your dictionary.com
A website dedicated to dictionaries including specialized, rhyming and multi-lingual
dictionaries. This site also includes a thesaurus, glossaries and encyclopedias.
Note: Don't forget to check our
Ready Reference
Dictionaries web page.
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