Introduction
Welcome to the University Of Zimbabwe Library Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Liaison Page. The Liaison page has been designed for users in the Social and Behavioural Sciences with academic activities associated with teaching, learning, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation. The Subject Specialists for the Faculty play a key role in liaison between the Faculty, students and the library. Their fundamental task is to synchronize communication between the faculty with the library to ensure seamless support for faculty endeavours related to the University’s mission and goals. Listed are e-books, e-journals, open-access resources, training services, theses, and referencing and citation. You are welcome to navigate these via the tabs above
Ms Thombizodwa Sibanda
Subject Information Specialist
Lower Reading Room Office
Main Library
University of Zimbabwe
Contact: tsibanda@uzlib.uz.ac.zw
Mr Benson Mutape
Subject Information Specialist
Research Commons Offices
2nd floor
Main Library
University of Zimbabwe
Contact: bmutape@uzlib.uz.ac.zw
Literature discovery– Training will introduce contemporary tools for discovering and accessing literature that supports their research. Participants will be taken through the process of exploring discipline-specific databases.
Systematic Reviews- This training equips researchers with the skills and knowledge needed to conduct high-quality, evidence-based reviews that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in social sciences.
Academic Integrity and Reference Management– Training equips researchers with referencing, citation and use of electronic reference management software skills.
Research Data Management– Training will acquaint participants with fundamental issues in managing research data.
Research Collaboration–Participants will have an appreciation of the available online tools and techniques for research collaboration and funding.
Publishing in Reputable Journals– participants will attain skills and knowledge on key considerations when selecting the right journal and publisher, differentiating predatory journals, and Open Access routes to getting research output more visible and citable.
Research Communication and Dissemination– the training introduces various strategies for improving research communication and dissemination to a diverse audience.
Managing your Digital Identity as a Researcher– This training will introduce researchers to the tools and techniques required to be an effective digital researcher. Various platforms for creating a digital footprint will be explored.
Research Impact Tracking– At the end of the training, participants will acquire knowledge on the importance of measuring research impact and understand the tools available for measuring a research’s impact.
Ethesis and Dissertation
How to find a Social and behavioural Science thesis in UZ Libraries.
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences thesis https://ir.uz.ac.zw/handle/10646/770
Masters and doctoral theses that have been submitted to UZ are, for the most part, available electronically through the UZescholar Institutional repository (https://ir.uz.ac.zw/handle/10646/585)
UZ theses can be found through searching the repository by issue date, author, title and subject. Alternatively use a community search including the title of the community for example “Faculty of Social Studies e-Theses Collection”.
In general, UZ Libraries does not keep Undergraduate theses although departments often keep their own copies but these are not reflected in the Libraries’ catalogue.
Referencing and citation
Referencing (also known as citation) is the practice used to acknowledge the sources one has used in writing up assignments or projects. Referencing enables one to refer to, or borrow from, the work of other individuals without being accused of plagiarism. Plagiarism involves the use of someone else’s creative works such as research, writings and ideas and presenting them as your own. This is a dishonest act and considered a serious offence by the University of Zimbabwe. To avoid plagiarism, it is important to provide proper citation and referencing of the sources used in scholarly work.
Referencing and citation consists of two elements:
- in-text citations in the body of the paper with the last name of the author(s) and the year of publication
- an alphabetically arranged reference list at the end of the paper giving full bibliographic details for the in-text citations of the sources one has used in one’s write up.
The Social and Behavioural Sciences Faculty uses the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. This refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for scholarly writing and acknowledging sources used in an assignment or academic piece of work.
APA Style covers the aspects of scholarly writing most pertinent to writing in behavioural and social sciences, education, nursing, business, communications, engineering, and related fields (American Psychological Association[APA], 2021)
Link: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/basics-7e-tutorial
For individual or group sessions on using the citation style, book an appointment with a Faculty Information Subject Specialist on the email provided below.
Online Reference Management
Students can also receive training on using open reference management software Mendeley to manage referencing and citation from Faculty Subject Information Specialist. This reference manager and academic social network can help in the following: help one to create and manage citations, organize one’s research, collaborate with others online, find relevant papers based on what one is reading and discover the latest research.
For training you can book an appointment on any of the emails provided below
Featured books in our Print collection
Handbook of forensic science edited by Jim Fraser and Robin Williams
Call Number: HV5073 HAN |
Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches by W Lawrence Neuman
Call Number: HM48 NEU
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The Public policy process by Michael Hill and Frederic Varone
Call Number: H97 HIL
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Anthropology and development: Culture, morality and politics in a globalised by Emma Crewe and Richard Axelby
Call Number: GN397.5 CRE
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Contemporary sociological theory by Jonathan H Turner
Call Number: HM435 TUR |
Rural development: A Geographical perspective by Keith Hoggart and Henry Buller
Call Number: HN49.C6 HOG
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Contemporary industrial psychology: Emerging concepts and practices for new workplace by S K Bhatia
Call Number: HF5548.8 BHA
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Mathematics explained for primary teachers by Derek Haylock with Ralph Manning
Call Number: HM671 SOC
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Handbook of clinical social work supervision by Carlton E Munson
Call Number: HV40.54 MUN
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Demographic analysis Projections on natality, fertility and replacement by Roland Pressat
Call Number: HB181 PRE
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Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Resources
There are relevant e- journals and e-books available related to social and behavioural sciences that are accessible via the UZ website. You visit the address (https://library.uz.ac.zw) and then under e-resources you click Campus Access or off campus access when you are not within the university campus/ or the university internet network. Below is a selection of databases recommended for topics related to social and behavioural science. Click on any of the databases in order to start accessing e-journals and e-books.
E-journal Databases | E-book Databases | ||||
Access To Research for Development and Innovation (ARDI) World Bank Africa Development Indicators
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For remote access please log in here: https://uz.remotexs.co
Social and Behavioural Sciences Core Textbooks
 | An introduction to community development / edited by Rhonda Phillips and Robert H. Pittman. Beginning with the foundations of community development, An Introduction to Community Development offers a comprehensive and practical approach to planning for communities. Road-tested in the authors’ own teaching, and through the training they provide for practicing planners, it enables students to begin making connections between academic study and practical know-how from both private and public sector contexts. An Introduction to Community Development shows how planners can utilize local economic interests and integrate finance and marketing considerations into their strategy. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, encouraging students to ask: what is best practice when it comes to planning for communities, and how do we accurately measure the results of planning practice? |
 | Demographic Methods and Concepts PAP/CDR Edition c2003Demographic Methods and Concepts presents the methods most commonly needed to work with statistical materials on population at national, regional, and local levels. Unlike other texts in the field, this book uses clear non-technical language throughout to make demographic techniques accessible to a diverse array of students, regardless of their background in mathematics. All the demographic techniques most relevant to the work of demographers, geographers, sociologists, and planners are covered. Demographic concepts and practical strategies important in the interpretation of population statistics are also included. The book is ideal for undergraduate courses in sociology, geography, economics, and statistics. |
 | Introduction to social work : an advocacy-based profession / Lisa E. Cox, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Carolyn J. Tice, University of Maryland, Dennis D. Long, Xavier University, C2016. Understanding social work; The social work profession; The history of social work; Generalist social work practice — Advocacy in social work — Responding to need — Poverty and inequality — Family and child welfare — Health care and health challenges — Physical and mental challenges — Mental health — Substance use and addiction — Challenges and rewards of aging — Criminal justice — Working in changing contexts — Communities at risk and housing. |
 | Power and choice : an introduction to political science / W. Phillips Shively. Building on the success of the first edition, this revised volume re-invigorates the conversation between foreign policy analysis and international relations. It opens up the discussion, situating existing debates in foreign policy in relation to contemporary concerns in international relations, and provides a concise and accessible account of key areas in foreign policy analysis that are often ignored. Focusing on how foreign policy decision making affects the conduct of states in the international system, and analysing the relationship between policy, agency and actors. |
 | Psychology / G. Neil Martin, Neil R. Carlson, William Buskist, c2010. The science of psychology ; Research methods in psychology ; Evolution, genetics and behaviour ; Psychology and neuroscience ; Sensation ; Perception ; Learning and behaviour ; Memory ; Consciousness ; Language ; Intelligence and thinking ; Developmental psychology ; Motivation and emotion ; Personality ;Social cognition and attitudes ; Interpersonal and group processes ; Health psychology ; Abnormal psychology. |
 | This textbook focuses on robust theories and models known for their successful applications and covers a diverse range of settings–spanning classroom interventions, health behaviour, financial decision making, climate change and much more. Each chapter comprises of a theoretical section to define the key concepts and summarize the theory, providing evidence for its reliability and limitations from basic research, as well as an application section that summarizes research in an applied context and provides details about a particular study including the respective application setting. The textbook expertly shows how theory can make meaningful predictions for real world contexts, and isn’t afraid to explain the potential hurdles and pitfalls when applying a theory and its underlying set of concepts in a certain context. Crucially, this format moves towards theory testing in applied contexts, enabling a closer examination of why and under what circumstances interventions may be successful in obtaining a desired behavioural or psychological end-state. |
 | Social Research: A practical Introduction / Bruce Curtis and Cate Curtis. C2011The text provides a mixed methods approach that challenges historical divisions between quantitative and qualitative research. It adopts a multidisciplinary approach to social science research, drawing from areas such as sociology, social psychology, and social anthropology. Explicitly addressing the concerns of emergent researchers it provides both a ‘how to’ account of social research and an understanding of the main factors that contextualize research by discussing ‘why do’ social scientists work this way. Throughout the twelve comprehensive chapters procedural (how to) accounts and contextual (why do) issues are usefully applied to major themes and substantive questions. These key themes include research design; the practices of research and emergent researchers: beyond ontology, epistemology putting the research approach in context. |
 | Social problems, the social welfare system, and the role of professional social work. An introduction to social problems, social welfare organizations, and the profession of social work ; Social work education — Professional social workers respond to social problems in related work settings. The economically and socially disadvantaged: professional social work in the public and private social welfare systems ; Children in difficulty : the child welfare system and professional social work with abused, neglected, and emotionally troubled children and their families ; Troubled families ; Problems of crime and violence : the legal system and the role of forensic social work in work with juveniles. |
 | Understanding urban metabolism : a tool for urban planning / edited by NektariosChrysoulakis, Eduardo Anselmo de Castro and Eddy J. Moors, C2015.Understanding Urban Metabolism closes the gap between the bio-physical sciences and urban planning and illustrates the advantages of accounting for urban metabolism issues in urban design decisions. Urban Metabolism considers a city as a system, and distinguishes between energy and material flows as its components. This book deals with the exchanges and transformation of energy, water, carbon and pollutants and introduces a new method for evaluating how planning alternatives can modify the physical flows of urban metabolism components and how environmental and socioeconomic components interact. The inclusion of sustainability principles into urban planning provides an opportunity to place the new knowledge provided by bio-physical sciences at the centre of the planning process, but there is a strong need for closing the gap between knowledge and practice, as well as a better dissemination of research results and exchange of best practice. This book meets that need and provides the reader with the tools they need to integrate an understanding of urban metabolism into urban planning practice”- |
 | Urbanization: An Introduction to Urban Geography (2nd Edition), c2012. Urbanization: An Introduction to Urban Geography, Third Edition captures the changes in the nature and outcomes of urbanization processes for people, as well as the development of new ways of thinking about urban geography. Unraveling the interlocking processes of urbanization, Knox and McCarthy present a vivid and meaningful explanation of constantly changing urban geographies and urban life. This framework supports the discussion of recent changes while addressing much of the traditional subject matter of urban geography. The books dynamic approach also allows for integration of both theories and facts, where key concepts and theories are presented in relation to prior events and ideasproviding a coherent and comprehensive introduction to urban geography that offers a historical and process-oriented approach. With a U.S. focus that also offers global context and comparative international perspectives, the authors examine urban trends and their outcomes in both developed and less-developed countries to understand, analyze, and interpret the landscapes, economies, and communities of towns and cities around the world. |
 | Management fundamentals : concepts, applications, and skill development / Robert N. Lussier. 2017 This Seventh Edition of Robert Lussier’s bestselling Management Fundamentals presents essential management themes through a three-pronged approach focused on concepts, applications, and skill building. Through a variety of applications, Lussier challenges millennials to think critically and apply concepts to their own experiences. Proven skill-building exercises, behavioral models, self-assessments, and individual and group exercises help students to develop their personal and professional skills. Fully updated throughout with 97% new references and over 1,200 new company examples, the Seventh Edition features 50% new cases, new self-assessments, and new applications and new coverage of current topics mandated by the AACSB. |
 | Management fundamentals : concepts, applications, and skill development / Robert N. Lussier. 2012 People and Organisational Development sets a new agenda for organisational effectiveness, by covering emergent theories of organisational development and human resources management, it also gives practical examples for how these theories can be applied. Furthermore, the book covers everything from how HR can support strategic change and how technology can be an agent of transformation to performance management, diversity, talent management and emotion at work. |