Accessing research papers

SCAS receives many enquiries from pet owners, students and researchers looking for more information on the human-companion animal bond. Below are some helpful pointers to guide you through the literature. 

If you’d like more detailed or specialist information, you might like to consider becoming a SCAS member. 

There are two main peer-reviewed Journals on human-animal interactions, which are essential reading for all researchers and students embarking on any studies. Anthrozoos is a quarterly Journal published by Berg on behalf of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ).  Members of ISAZ can access current previous issues online. Society and Animals is the other peer-reviewed specialist Journal in the field, also published every quarter and available through Brill for an annual subscription. 

Members of SCAS can also borrow both these Journals from the SCAS library.

Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of the field, published research papers can also be found in a range of other sector-specific journals, such as the Western Journal of Nursing Research and the Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Journal.   

It can also be helpful to review the Abstracts from the IAHAIO tri-annual international conferences. Copies of these are available to SCAS members. 

University and other specialist libraries are also well placed to advise on accessing research papers.