This Descriptor List is published as a companion to the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. First published in 1952, the IBSS is produced annually in four parts - Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Sociology - and has been widely acclaimed as an essential tool for librarians, university departments, research institutions, public and private institutions, and indeed for all whose work requires reference to the current literature in any of the fields comprised within its scope. Companion Descriptor lists are now available for all four main subject areas. All volumes of the IBSS published to date have been indexed and from this a language representing every subject covered in this massive bibliography has been developed. This language can be used for indexing social science publications as well as for retrieving the references stored in the IBSS data bank. The Descriptor List falls into two parts: alphabetical and thematic. In the alphabetic section, terms appear both in English and French. Cross reference is made to all four volumes of the IBSS. The thematic section corresponds to the relevant volume of the four IBSS volumes. It follows the classification of the volume and quotes the indexation terms appropriate to the entries. This Descriptor List is not a thesaurus, although it is close to being that since it has a thematic arrangement that allows for the regrouping of information. Fundamentally, it meets the practical needs of those contributing to the development of information systems in The Social Sciences. It will be an essential tool for all those to whom the IBSS has been a key source of reference since 1952.