Jim Dan Hill Library -- Social Work Subject Guide

Social Work Subject Guide

1. Think about and develop a SEARCH STRATEGY!

Search Strategy Guide
- The library has a helpful guide to walk you through this process. This guide provides hints on how to think about your topic (in general) and what types of resources to use. Your discipline area will determine what resources you select.

2. Sample Reference Resources for Finding Background Information and Facts

General Information
- Your Textbook or general Social Work textbooks (browse the HV call numbers on 2nd floor)
- Encyclopedia of Social Work (Reference HV 35 .S6)
- Encyclopedia of Welfare History in North America (Reference HV 12 E497 2005)
- Social Work Almanac (Reference HV 90 .G53 1995)
- The Social Work Dictionary (Reference HV 12 .B37 1995)
- Statistical Handbook on the Social Safety Net (Reference HV 51 P33 2004)

3. Catalogs for Finding Books

JDH Library Catalog --search for your topic or synonyms for your topic in the guided keyword search.
WorldCat --search your topic as above and use the Interlibrary loan button to get those materials not in JDH Library.

4. Indexes for Finding Journal Articles (see also "Social Sciences" section of index list)

If the library does not have the journal you need (in paper or electronic form--ask us, we'll help), use Interlibrary Loan to request the article(s) you need.

Academic Search
- Citations and full text of articles from a broad range of fields.
Sociological Abstracts
- Indexes non-evaluative abstracts of the world's serial literature in sociology and related disciplines. The core journals indexed are produced by sociology associations, groups, faculty and institutes, and periodicals with sociology in the title. Related fields include anthropology, economics, education, medicine, community development, philosophy, statistics, as well as certain humanities and general circulation publications with discipline or criticism of sociology topics.
Social Sciences Abstracts Full Text
- Full-text articles about topics in the social sciences, including social work. An excellent starting point.
PsycArticles Full Text
- Full text articles from journals published by the American Psychological Association since 1988.
PsycInfo
- Citations to articles about topics in psychology and psychiatry.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- This database supplies up to date bibliographic information and research within the political science discipline and its complementary fields. Included are abstracts of journal articles and dissertations from 1,000 journals, along with citations of book reviews appearing in the journals abstracted.
Social Work Abstracts (Index Tables)
- Citations with abstracts for articles specifically published in the social work field.

5. Web Sites of Interest

6. For More Information

Ask the Reference Librarians for help and assistance. It is what we are here for!
Ask your Professor for suggestions and pointers.