Top article databases
These databases are often the best starting point for any topic in Social Work. PsycINFO is helpful for those with a clinical focus.
- Social Services AbstractsIndexes and abstracts current research in social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development.
- Sociological AbstractsJournal articles in sociology and related social sciences, as well as abstracts for dissertations, conference proceedings, and book chapters. A resource for topics as wide-ranging as environmental sociology, criminology, social work, race and ethnic studies, women and gender studies, and social justice.
- PsycINFO via EBSCOhostOne of the top resources for research in psychology and related areas, featuring sophisticated filters (e.g., methodology, age group) for advanced searching.
Specialized article databases
These databases have a more specific focus and can help you deepen your literature search. For example, those interested in school social work might benefit from exploring the educational literature collected in ERIC or Education Source.
- Psychology and Behavioral Sciences CollectionIncludes information on a broad range of topics in psychiatry, psychology, and anthropology. Some example topics are mental processes, emotional & behavioral characteristics, and observational & experimental methods.
- Professional Development CollectionFull-text article database for professional educators offering information on everything from children's health and development to cutting-edge pedagogical theory and practice.
- APA PsycArticlesProvides articles from journals of the American Psychological Association.
- Social Care OnlineThe UK's largest online database of information on all aspects of social work and social care. Includes legislation, government documents, practice and guidance, systematic reviews, research briefings, grey literature, reports, and journal articles.
- Ethnic NewsWatchEthnic, minority, and native presses featuring a rich collection of articles, editorials, columns, and reviews to provide a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.
- ERIC via EBSCO HostA large, online digital library of education research and information, inlcuding scholarly journals and education related documents, including reports, policy papers, dissertations, conference papers and others. Some full text is available. Provided with an EBSCO interface.
- Education SourceA large, online digital library focused on a broad range of educational topics in scholarly articles, news, magazines and trade journals.
- Gale OneFile: Criminal JusticeIncludes more than 250 journals on law and criminology from Gale Academic OneFile and General OneFile.
- PubMedA free resource from the US National Library of Medicine and a key resource for medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences.
Reading strategies
Tip:
Need strategies for reading academic journal articles?
Use this reading guide from the library to help you understand the major sections of academic articles and develop strategies for quickly understanding them. Or check out the handout linked below for more details.
- How to read a social science journal article
This guide (Laubepin/ICPSR 2013) breaks down the parts of a social science journal article, suggests reading strategies, and reviews where to find specific information within an article.
What if we don't own it?
Did you find something you need that we don't own? You can request it from another library, whether it's an article scan or a book.
Just login to your inter-library services account with your A# and password to make your request.
Meta-research
According to PLOS, meta-research is "the scientific study of research practices...an emerging field that aims to characterize existing standards and ultimately improve the quality and reliability of scientific research." Learn about methods, reporting, bias, reproducibility, evaluation, and policy from this curated PLOS collection of meta-research articles.
