Social Work 505: Social Work Research I

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

Pat Prieto Reference & Instruction Librarian 207-780-5662 email me

The purpose of this guide is to help you locate social work sources in the collections of the USM libraries. It is a selective, not a comprehensive, guide. Depending on your specific area of research, it may also be useful to check guides in related fields, such as sociology and criminology.

In order to find books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System you will need to consult URSUS, the online catalog of USM and the University of Maine System..

If you do not know the exact subject heading describing the topic you need, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic and then click on the subject heading links found within the relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

The following is a listing of selected subject headings relating to Social Work. Each subject heading is hotlinked directly to URSUS.

If you need an item that is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet , you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

Use subject encyclopedias as a place to begin your research. Usually written by experts and scholars in the field, the articles provide a solid overview and bibliography; history, current state, policy issues and theories also may be discussed.

CQ Researcher
Balanced coverage of "hot issues" in the news, many of them pertaining to social welfare. Each week's report includes a bibliography and timeline of the issue as well as a pro-and-con discussion of a related question.

Encyclopedia of Social Work (and supplements)
Por/Gor Ref. HV35.S6

Encyclopedia of Disability and Rehabilitation
Por/Gor Ref. HV1568.E53 1995

Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence
Por Ref. HQ 772.G27 1998

Aging: demographics, health, and health services
Por Ref .RA564.8 .V54 2003    

Encyclopedia of Aging
Por/Gor Ref. HQ1061.E53 1995

American Homelessness
Por Ref. HV4505.H647 1994

Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behavior
Por Ref. HV5804.E53 2001

Gay Histories and Cultures
Por Ref. HQ75.13.G37 2000

Lesbian Histories and Cultures
Por Ref. HQ75.5.L4395 2000

Subject-oriented dictionaries provide definitions of terms or phrases unique to the field.

Social Work Dictionary
Por Ref. HV12.B37 1999

Dictionary of Gerontology
Por Ref. HQ1061.H338 1988

Statistical sources help support and quantify your arguments.

Social Work Almanac
Por Ref. HV90.G53

Statistical Handbook on the American Family
Por Ref. HQ536.S727 1999

Kids Count Data Book
Por/Gor Ref. HQ792.U5K53

Maine Kids Count
Por Ref. HQ792.U5M2

Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children
Por Ref. HQ792.U5T7

Books and encyclopedias should be supplemented with journal articles, which allow you to focus and update your research. Following is a selected list of databases which cover social work and related fields. Most of these databases include citations and abstracts only. To check for the availability of articles, follow the links in the database (if provided), or search URSUS for the title of the periodical (not article). For more about finding the articles you want, see Finding Articles at USM .

Social Work Abstracts
Index to articles and dissertations on social work, social welfare, and related fields.

Social Services Abstracts
Social Services Abstracts covers journal articles and dissertations in social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development (1980-present).

Academic Search Premier
Provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

Campbell Collaboration
"The Campbell Collaboration was founded on the principle that systematic reviews on the effects of interventions will inform and help improve policy and services. Through its reviews and annual Colloquiums, the Collaboration strives to make the best social science research available and accessible. Campbell reviews provide high quality evidence of "what works" to meet the needs of service providers, policy makers, educators and their students, professional researchers, and the general public."

Child Abuse, Child Welfare and Adoption Database
Contains 32,000+ bibliographic citations and abstracts of professional literature, primarily of U.S. origin. Publication types include books, journals, government reports, conference papers, state annual reports,curricula, and unpublished papers.

ERIC
Indexes and abstracts journal articles and documents on education research and practice, from 1966 to the present.

PILOTS (Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress)
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and produced by the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PILOTS indexes publications on "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events". Coverage is international, cross-disciplinary, and both current and retrospective.

PsycInfo
Index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. The database includes information from empirical studies, case studies, surveys, bibliographies.

Sociological Abstracts
Covers sociology and related disciplines including anthropology, criminology, demography, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, political science, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies.

USM School of Social Work

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

Writing Handbooks

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(Por. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)
(Gor. Ref. BF76.7 .P83 2001)

St. Martin's Handbook
(Por. Ref. PE1112 .L86 1989)
(Lew Ref. PE1112. L86 1989)
Contains sections on the writing process, sentence construction, punctuation, doing research, and academic writing.

A Writer's Reference, 3rd Edition
(Gor. Ref. PE1408 .H2778 1995)
Includes sections on composing and revising, design, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, writing, and documentation.

Helpful Websites

Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources

Created by: Pat Prieto
Created on: 9.19.05
Last updated:01.22.08