Your research question may invite analysis from more than one academic discipline. Yet what is an academic discipline? Although definitions vary, most scholars agree that an academic discipline shares the following characteristics:
What do you think are the advantages of academic disciplines? Might there be any disadvantages?
Most academic disciplines have one or more subject databases that index and disseminate scholarly work within that discipline. It is impossible to understate how important it is to search disciplinary databases when doing research. (In the medical sciences, for example, failure to search the relevant databases prior to a clinical trial is malpractice and can result in severe federal sanctions.)
At Collins Library, the main subject databases for each academic discipline taught at the university can be found under the "Articles" page on each subject guide.
A controlled vocabulary used to make sure that when researchers search databases for their disciplines, their searches are comprehensive. When an article is added to a database, it is tagged with specific subject headings, so that searchers don't need to worry about synonyms when searching. For example, tagging all articles about heart attacks with the term "Myocardial Infarction" can ensure that when you search using that term, you're also finding articles that use synonyms like "Heart Attack", "Myocardial Infarct", and "Cardiovascular Stroke". These terms can also be placed in a hierarchy, so that searchers can discover narrower terms, such as "Anterior Wall Myocardial Infarction", or broader terms like "Heart Diseases".
When looking up subject headings, these are the main parts I want you to focus on:
I want you to look at the questions and disciplines you've just gathered, and do the following:
Database and Controlled Vocabulary | Subject terms found |
Anything missing? Evidence of bias? Anything problematic? |
Final Grade | Search strategy |
---|---|---|---|---|
Homosaurus |
Prostitution, Sex work, brothels, female/male/lesbian/transgender prostitution, gay for pay, escort services, prostitute's clients. LGBTQ+ sex workers, many narrower terms |
No scope notes for "Prostitution" No negative related terms - exploitation, human trafficking, etc. Neutral view on prostitution. |
A- | |
PubMed (Medical Subject Headings) | Sex Work, Sex workers, |
Doesn't separate sex work and prostitution. Doesn't separate sex workers and sex worker clients. Sex Work is under "Social Problems" |
B | |
Library of Congress (LCSH) | Prostitution, sex work, child prostitution, male prostitution, brothels, pimps, red-light districts, sex crimes |
No scope notes for prostitution Female prostitution is a "use for" term, which implies a default. |
D | |
ProQuest Sociology | Prostitution, Human trafficking, Pimps, Sex crimes, Sexual behavior, Sex industry |
No narrower terms No scope notes for prostitution A lot of the related terms are negative. Broader terms are crime and sex crimes |
D+ |
|
SOCIndex: | Sex work, SEX industry, VICTIMLESS crimes, MALE sex work, SACRED prostitution, SOCIAL aspects of sex work, TRANSACTIONAL sex, BROTHELS, SEX crimes, SEX workers |
Female prostitution as default Victimless crime White slavery? |
D-? |