Consumer science is the study of providing for the well-being of individuals and households in the context of how they are influenced by marketplace institutions and communities. Consumer science draws from fields such as economics, sociology, psychology, law, and business. Consumer behavior, household finance, and consumer protection are major areas of consumer science.1
Journal & Research Databases
| Broad
Coverage Business/Retailing |
Consumer
Behavior Education |
Health/Medical Law |
Area & International
Studies Newspapers and Popular Magazines |
Broad Databases Covering Social Sciences
Academic Search
Many academic areas including business, social sciences, and humanities. More than 3000 journals plus New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Journals included usually cover core literature for each discipline.
Business
Library's
Country
Information
Research
Guide 
Overviews
of countries
including
business
and economics,
political,
and social
background
information.
Current
Contents
Rapid updates
mean leading
scholarly
journals
are included
within days
of publication.
Covers all
disiplines
in over 7500
international
journals.
ProQuest
Digital
Dissertations
References
for doctoral
dissertations
in all subject
areas completed
at U.S. accredited
institutions.
Some masters
theses and
foreign language
dissertations
are also
included.
Full text
(PDF files)
of UW-Madison
dissertations
from 1997
forward are
available.
Proquest
Research
Library
Mix of more
than 2000
general interest
and academic
journals
that cover
the arts,
business,
education,
health, humanities,
psychology,
sciences,
and the social
sciences
Consumer Behavior
Agricola
Indexes 2,500
journals,
as well
as USDA
publications,
Extension
service
documents
and more.
Its subject
matter
covers
all aspects
of agriculture
including
food safety,
food preferences,
nutrition,
and consumer
needs as
they relate
to agriculture.
There is
also a free
version from
the National
Agriculture
Library.
Family & Society
Studies
Worldwide
Over 1800
journals,
books, chapters,
newsletters,
government
documents,
and dissertations
covering
the educational,
medical,
psychological
and sociological
aspects of
family literature.
PsycINFO
Produced
by the
American
Psychological
Association,
it contains
citations
and abstracts
of the
world's
literature
in psychology
and related
subjects
from more
than 1300
journal
titles
from more
than 50
countries.
PAIS
(Public
Affairs
Information
Service
International)
Covers public
policy, social
policy, and
the social
sciences
in general
and indexes
journal articles,
books, government
documents,
and a variety
of other
reports.
Social
Science
Full Text
Over 415
key periodicals
in the fields
of economics,
politics
and foreign
affairs,
public administration,
public health,
sociology,
criminology,
environmental
and urban
studies,
psychology
and anthropology.
Social
Work Abstracts
It contains
citations
and abstracts
to articles
from more
than 450
journals
in the areas
of the social
work profession,
theory and
practice,
areas of
service,
social issues,
and social
problems.
Sociological
Abstracts
This database
indexes and
abstracts
2,000 worldwide
journals
in sociology.
Web
of Knowledge
- Social
Science
Citation
Index
Unique resource
to search
by cited
authors and
to find articles
sharing one
or more cited
reference.
It indexes
more than
8,000 peer-reviewed
journals,
providing
complete
bibliographic
data and
author abstracts.
Health/Medical
Health
Source:
Consumer
Edition
Provides
full text
since 1990
from nearly
280 periodicals
covering
nutrition,
exercise,
medical self-care,
drugs and
alcohol,
and much
more.
Health
and
Wellness
Reference
Center
Provides
health information
for nursing
and allied
health students,
as well as
consumer
health research.
It combines
indexing
of periodicals,
reference
books, and
pamphlets.
MEDLINE
Major source
for clinical
medical
information
covering
all aspects
of biomedicine,
including
the allied
health
fields;
biological
and physical
sciences;
and humanities
and information
science
as they
relate
to medicine
and health
care. PubMed is
the free
search
interface
for the
MEDLINE
database.
Law
Index
to
Legal
Periodicals
Covers all
areas of
law from
the United
States and
Commonwealth
countries
and indexes
legal periodicals,
court decisions,
legislation
and more.
LEXIS/NEXIS
Academic
Universe
Composed
of approximately
5,000 legal,
news, reference,
and business
sources,
most full
text.
Business/Retailing/Economics
ABI
Inform
Indexes more
than 1300
scholarly
and business
trade periodicals.
Excellent
source of
information
on management
and business
including
consumer
behavior.
Business & Industry
Information
on public
and private
companies,
industries,
products,
new technologies,
market
size, and
trends
from over
900 leading
trade and
business
publications.
Business
Source
Elite
Covers many
areas of
business
including
management,
economics,
finance,
banking and
accounting.
More than
900 scholarly
and popular
business
magazines
are included.
Corporate
Affiliations
Provides
corporate
linkage information
on more than
170,000 of
the most
prominent
parent companies
and their
affiliates,
subsidiaries
and divisions.
Econlit
More than
300 scholarly
English
language
periodicals
and books
in the
field of
economics.
Thomson
Research
Integrated
online research
tool that
combines
detailed
business
financial
and management
information
with more
than 6 million
source documents.
Education
ERIC
Note on the status
of ERIC.
Oldest and
largest education-related
database.
It covers
journal articles
and ERIC
Documents.
Most ERIC
Documents
are available
in the CIMC
microfiche
collection.
Most from
1993 to the
present are
also available
in PDF format
via the links
in ERIC and
EDRS (http://www.edrs.com).
Note: there
is also a free
version of
ERIC.
Education
Full-text
More current
than ERIC,
often having
full text
available
just a month
or two after
the print
journal issues
are published.
Not all articles
are available
full text
within the
database.
Professional
Development
Collection
Provides
full text
or indexing
for journals
in education.
Over 350
of the included
titles are
peer reviewed.
Newspapers and Popular Magazines
Alternative
Press
Index
Indexes approximately
300 alternative,
radical,
and left
publications
that report
and analyze
the practices
and theories
of cultural,
economic,
political,
and social
change. Ninety
per cent
of the publications
indexed in
API are unique;
they are
not covered
in more mainstream
indexes.
ProQuest
Newspapers
More than
500 national,
international
and Wisconsin
newspapers,
plus other
news sources.
Includes
Milwaukee
Journal/Sentinel.
LEXIS/NEXIS
Academic
Universe
Approximately
5,000 legal,
news, reference,
and business
sources including
news sources,
magazines,
wire services,
newsletters,
trade journals,
company and
industry
analyst reports,
and broadcast
transcripts.
Includes
Wisconsin
State Journal,
Capital Times
and Milwaukee
Journal/Sentinel.
Readers'
Guide
240 general
interest
periodicals
covering
news and
current events
in politics,
business,
science,
education,
religion,
the arts,
foreign affairs,
sports and
hobbies,
fashion,
food and
cooking,
and health
and nutrition.
Left
Index
Provides
indexing
to "the
diversity
of literature
on the left,
with a primary
emphasis
on politically
and culturally
engaged scholarship
inside and
outside the
academy and
a secondary
emphasis
on significant
but little
known sources
of news and
ideas." Topics
covered include
politics,
economics,
the labor
movement,
ecology and
environment,
women's studies,
race and
ethnicity,
social and
cultural
theory, sociology,
art and aesthetics,
philosophy,
history,
education,
law, and
globalization.
=
License
Restricted
(About) =
open
to everyone
Data Resources
Applied
Population
Laboratory
Provides
consultation
and training
as well as
researching
current demographic
and economic
topics.
WisStat
Online demographic
data server
for Wisconsin.
Data
and
Program
Library
Service
Central repository
of data collections
used by the
social science
research
community
at the UW-Madison.
Internet
Crossroads
in
Social
Science
Data
Over 700
annotated
links to
data-related
resources
on the Internet.
iPOLL
Databank
Full-text,
question-level
retrieval
system for
United States
public opinion
back to 1935
from the
Roper Center
for Public
Opinion Research.
DPLS
Online Data
Archive
Small subset
of the DPLS
data collection
made publicly
available
for direct
web download.
DPLS
Catalog
Center
for
Demography
and
Ecology
Library
Specialized
collection
in population
studies with
emphasis
on particular
areas in
accordance
with the
priorities
and research
interests
of Center
faculty and
staff.
CDECAT
To locate
data files
available
at CDE.
Data
Resources
at CDE Information
Services
Detailed
descriptions
of data available
at CDE.
Inter-university
Consortium
for
Political
and
Social
Research
Provides
access to
an immense
archive of
social science
data for
research
and instruction.
Housed at
the University
of Michigan.
Data
on
the
Net
Numeric social
science statistical
data, data
catalogs,
data libraries,
social science
gateways,
addresses
and more.
Books and Background Reading
Seach
for books and backround reading
in MadCat -
library Catalog. More
about Madcat
Useful subject
terms in
the area
of Consumer
Science are:
WorldCat
Catalog of
more than
49 million
books,
serials,
audiovisuals
and more
owned by
over 9,000
OCLC member
libraries
around
the world,
including
UW-Madison
and the
Library
of Congress.
One of
its many
uses is
the ability
to make
online
interlibrary
loan requests
for books.
netLibrary
Online books
covering
many topics.
Here's
a sampling
of recent
titles:
Statistics and Facts
General Reference
Xreferplus
An online
collection
of encyclopedias,
dictionaries,
atlases,
statistical
sources,
biographical
tools,
thesauri,
books of
quotations,
image collections,
and subject-specific
titles
covering
everything
from art
to technology.
General Statistical Sources
Fedstats 
" More
than 70 agencies
in the United
States Federal
Government
produce statistics
of interest
to the public.
The Federal
Interagency
Council on
Statistical
Policy maintains
this site to
provide easy
access to the
full range
of statistics
and information
produced by
these agencies
for public
use."
NationMaster.com | StateMaster.com
Statistics from a variety of well cited government sources and presented in
an easy-to-use and interesting graphical format. Includes an encyclopedia,
statistics, maps and country information.
Steenbock
Library's Statistical Sources
Subject Guide 
Statistical
Abstract of the United States
" A collection
of statistics
on social and
economic conditions
in the United
States. Selected
international
data are also
included. The
Abstract is
also your guide
to sources
of other data
from the Census
Bureau, other
Federal agencies,
and private
organizations."
Statistical
Resources on the Web: Sociology
Compiled
by the University
of Michigan
Documents
Center
WisStat
Contains
thousands
of demographic
and economic
variables
for the
state of
Wisconsin,
its counties
and smaller
communitites.
Demographic and Census Data
American
Fact Finder
"… provide[s]
users with
the capability
to browse,
search, and
map data from
many US Census
Bureau sources." Also
provides access
to the full
text of may
census bureau
reports (click "Census
Bureau Products").
- Quick
Facts from the U.S.
Census
Answers to common questions asked of the U.S. Census Bureau concerning people, business and geography at the county, state and national level. - United
States Historical Census
Browser
Browse data about "the people and the economy of the US for each state and county from 1790 to 1970." - US
Census Bureau Housing
Topics
Data on homeownership, housing vacancies and affordability, a survey of property owners and managers, a survey of market absorption of apartments, historical trends and more.
Community
Information by Zip Code
Includes
links to
information
by zip code
on people
and households,
education,
health, the
environment,
business,
and politics.
Created by
a librarian
at California
State University
Northridge.
Demographic
Internet Resources
From the
UW-Madison
Center for
Demography
and Ecology.
Also see
other data
resources.
Madison
and Dane County Business Information
From the
UW Madison
Business
Library.
Population
and Demography Information
A gateway
to a wide
range of
population
and demography
information
on the Web
from the
Population
Research
Institute
at Pennsylvania
State University.
Economic Indicators
Bureau
of Labor Statistics – Consumer
Price Index
The Consumer
Price Index
(CPI) is
a measure
of the average
change over
time in the
prices paid
by urban
consumers
for a market
basket of
consumer
goods and
services.
Economics
Statistics Briefing Room
Federal statistics
on production,
employment,
income, trade,
money, and
prices.
Social
Statistics Briefing Room
Data on crime,
demographics,
education
and health.
SourceOECD
Organisation
for Economic
Co-operation
collection
of books,
periodicals
and statistical
databases.
Financial Institutions
Historical
Statistics on Banking
Aggregate
statistical
information
on the banking
industry
beginning
in 1934 collected
by the Federal
Deposit Insurance
Corporation.
Statistics
on Depository Institutions
Twenty-four
predefined
financial
information
reports plus
a feature
for building
custom reports
on FDIC-insured
institutions.
Retail and Marketing
ClickZ
Stats
Trends and
statistics
on Web marketing
with up-to-date
news briefs
on many subjects,
as well as
archived
articles.
Scope
USA (Shopping Mall Statistics)
From the
International
Council of
Shopping
Centers
International Agencies
United
Nations
World
Bank
World
Health Organization
International
Statistical Agencies -
Bureau of the Census
Jobs and Funding
College
of Letters and Science/School
of Human Ecology Career Services
Career advising,
workshops
and recruitment
information
and job postings.
Family
and Consumer Sciences Career
Connection
From the
American
Association
of Family
and Consumer
Sciences.
Grants
Information Center
Memorial
Library site
with extensive
information
on grants.
Job
Hunting on the Internet
Steenbock
Library overview
of tools
and techniques
for conducting
an online
job search.
RSP
(Reference Service Press) Funding
Contains
up-to-date
information
on thousands
of financial
aid programs
including
fellowships,
loans, grants
and awards.
Career
Collection
College Library
guide to
books, e-books,
sample MadCat
book searches,
library databases,
and web sites.
People, Places and Organizations
Professional Associations
- Association for Consumer Research
- American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- American Council on Consumer Interests
- American Savings Education Council
- Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education
- Family and Consumer Sciences Education Association
- Financial Planning Association
- Foundation For Financial Planning
- Marketing Research Association
- National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators
- National Association of Sales Professionals
- National Endowment for Financial Education
- National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- Society for Consumer Psychology
- Wisconsin Association of Family & Consumer Sciences
- Wisconsin Education Assocation Council
Student Associations
- Student Wisconsin Education Association
- UW-Madison Financial Occupations Club for University Students (FOCUS)
1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_science This page available at http://steenbock.library.wisc.edu/subjectguide/consumersci.htm
Please send comments about this page to: Jean Ruenger-Hanson