Ramapo Intranet   |  K's Home | Syllabi   |  Booklists   | Links   |   Instructor Info.   | Luminis   |  WebCT6 | Potter Library | Writing/Research Links |

©All the material in this website is copyrighted to Kathleen L. Fowler unless explicitly indicated otherwise.  Permission is granted to use and distribute this material freely but please attribute properly by retaining the full header information. 11/16/99 Page revised July 20, 2006

SOSC 314 Death and Dying, Life and Living
Guide to Research and Resources

Return to Syllabus http://phobos.ramapo.edu/~kfowler/d&dsp07syllabus.html

Research Resources and Tips:  General Guidelines:  Click here for various sources on writing and research in general:   Writing/Research Links | and for the D&D bibliography which I have compiled to assist you in your research.  We will be visiting the library early in the semester for special help from a librarian in beginning and focusing the research process.  Note:  You are being asked to do a limited focused research project rather than a full-scale research paper but the same principles, techniques, and strategies apply.

Library Research:  The very best way to do your non-experienced research is by using journal articles.  Many are available through our electronic databases (go  to library homepage http://library.ramapo.edu and click on Information Resources.  Enter your campus email username and password. (In some cases you will also see your library barcode.)  This gives you access to any of our many databases a number of which provide full-text versions of the articles you are seeking.  You can search for various topics using keyword searches.  Particularly relevant databes include CINAHL (nursing and allied health); Encyclopedia of Life Scieces; LexisNexis Academic; ProQuest, PsycInfo(Ebsco), Social Sciences Abstract.   Some journals you might consult (some in paper, others electronically) are: Death Studies (This is an especially important journal and it is available in two  full text electronic databases available through Ramapo: EbscoHost/Academic Search and ProQuest.) Omega: An International Journal for the Study of Dying, Death, Bereavement, Suicide, and Other Lethal Behaviors (available in Ramapo's periodicals section).  Other useful journals include   Loss, Grief and Care: A Journal of Professional Practice; Bereavement Magazine; Illness, Crisis and Loss; Thanatos.  Gerontology Journals include:   The Journal of Gerontology; The Gerontologist; Research on Aging; The Journal of Gerontological Nursing; and The Journal of Gerontological Social Work.  You may need to consult these via interlibrary loan or at another library (your Ramapo card entitles you to use any state college or university library in New Jersey).  In addition, Ramapo has a substantial collection of books and other resources on death and dying.

Specialized books on thanatology can be obtained (purchase only) from: Compassion Books, 477 Hannah Branch Road, Burnsville, NC 28170 ((828) 675-5909.  The ADEC Catalogue of books is on reserve and is an excellent resource for an overview of available materials.   You can write to them directly to have a free catalogue sent to you.  You can also  consult the website  www.compassionbooks.com  Excellent pamphlets for distribution are available from Media Publishing, PO Box 89, Redmond, VA 90073 (206) 881-2883.

Internet Research:   Web resources and links for D, D, & B can be found at http://www.dushkin.com/  for selected weblinks regarding death, dying, bereavement and loss.  Choose Annual Editions and click on Dying, Death, and Bereavement.  I have also collected additional links at http://phobos.ramapo.edu/~kfowler/d&dlinks.html .
Do be wary about internet research.  Anyone can put anything out on the net.  Evaluate your site for usefulness and credibility.  In most cases you will want to corroborate internet materials with journal materials that have gone through a peer review (i.e. other professionals in the appropriate area have reviewed the article and judged it worthy of publication).  Ramapo's library has an excellent guide to evaluating websites at http://potter.ramapo.edu/homepage/evaluating.html   and to citing websites and print resources at http://potter.ramapo.edu/homepage/citing.html  

Organizations and Agencies:
Association of Death Educators and Counselors (ADEC).  This is a key organization sponsoring conferences and workshops.  It also has an accreditation process.  For information contact the ADEC Central Office at 638 Prospect Avenue, Hartford Ct. 06105.  There are student rates and Ramapo students have attended.  The 2007 conference will be in Indianapolis, Indiana from Apr. 11-14, 2007.  The theme this year is: Transformation and Creativity in Death, Dying, and Bereavement.  There are Student Initiative Scholarships that pay for conference attendance and ADEC membership for a year.  See http://www.adec.org/awards/studinit.htm  For more info about the organization and/or about the conference consult their home page: http://www.adec.org/

Hospice Foundation of America broadcasts an annual teleconference on some aspect of "Living with Grief."  Ramapo College is a host site for the teleconference. 
The 2007 teleconference will be held Mar. 22, 2007 from 1-4:30. 

United Hospice of  Rockland, 5 Parkview Plaza, Thiells Mt., Ivy Road, Pomona, NY 10970 (845) 354-5100; Center for Help, 326 Hillsdale Ave., Hillsdale, NJ 07642 (201-666-0009