What's In This Guide
This page lists key resources for most practicum placements. Use the tabs to navigate to pages with resources for specific areas of focus, such as mental health or school social work.
Key Resources for All Practicum Areas
Background information
- Social Worker's Desk Reference (4th edition, 2022)E-book available to unlimited users. 163 short chapters with links to further resources, collaboratively written by major figures in the field.
- Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th edition, 2008)Co-published by the National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press, this online encyclopedia contains 400 subject entries and 200 biographies of key figures in the history of social work.
- Library catalogSearch thousands of books and ebooks on topics ranging from ethics, to equity, to evidence-based practice, to professional writing, to working with specific populations.
Journal articles
- ScopusDatabase of peer-reviewed journal articles. Full text is not included, but Article Linker provides access to full-text articles when available.
- Social Services AbstractsIndexes and abstracts current research in social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development.
- PsycINFO via EBSCOhostOne of the top resources for research in psychology and the behavioral and social sciences. Includes information on topics ranging from education to pharmacology.
- Google ScholarIn addition to academic articles, book chapters, and theses/dissertations, Google and Google Scholar are helpful for finding policy documents, reports, white papers, and other documents from public agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Tip:
See this icon?
Click the Article Linker icon to get to full text through our library subscriptions. If the article isn't available, choose Request via ILLiad or use interlibrary loan to request a copy from another library.
Resources for clinical practice
- DSM LibraryIncludes access to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and DSM-5-TR (Text Revision from March 2022), along with the Handbook of Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Cases, and Online Assessment Measures.
- Psychotherapy.net Video CollectionsHigh-quality streaming videos on counseling, psychotherapy, and addiction. The majority of the videos show therapists conducting therapy and demonstrating clinical skills, along with pre and post discussions. Most of the leading figures in the field are included in this collection. Also includes downloadable instructor manuals.
Evidence-Based Practices
Tips for searching
If you are searching in a database for articles describing evidence-based and best practices, consider the following:
Try including the phrases "best practice," "promising practice," "evidence-based practice," or EBP (with the quotes) as part of your keywords.
For example, if you're researching family violence prevention, a keyword search might start like this:
("best practice" OR "evidence-based practice" OR EBP) AND ("family violence" OR "domestic violence") AND prevention
Tip:
Need help with building a search?
Read our guide on Boolean searching to learn how to build powerful searches like the example above.
Other resources
The Social Worker's Desk Reference defines evidence-based practice and outlines it a 5-step process, including tips for locating EBPs:
- Posing questions
- Locating research results
- Evaluating evidence
- Synthesizing information
- Assessing effectiveness
Additional resources include:
- Practice Resources (NASW)
- Evidence-Based Social Work Practice Guide Series (USU MSW Program)
Your Librarian
Help for Statewide Campus/Online Students
As a USU Statewide or Online student, you can access all of the library's databases, articles, and e-books from home or anywhere with Internet. To access library resources from the USU Libraries website, a research guide (like this!), or your Canvas course, you will be prompted to enter your A number and password. For more information on how to order physical books, get research help, and other time-saving tips, visit the Library Services for Statewide and Online Users website.
