Legal Research: The Basics
- Law: Legal ResearchUse this guide for a variety of information to help you find state and federal statutes, regulations, and case law.
- Legal Information Institute (LII)Use the search bar in the top right corner to search for your topic. Then, use the navigation bar on the left to find different resources on your topic.
- Wex LawUse the legal encyclopedia to get general overviews about topics.
- Find relevant US CodeYou can search by general topic or search for a law by its popular name.
Finding Statutory or Regulatory History
- HeinOnline AcademicHein Online Academic is a full-text research collection offering U.S. federal publications such as the U.S. Code, Federal Register, treaties and agreements, U.S. and state appellate court opinions, federal legislative histories, presidential documents; a collection of legal classics; and constitutions of the world.
For information on using Hein Online to find statutory and regulatory history, contact Kayla.
- Locating text and legislative history of public lawsThis page from HeinOnline includes helpful suggestions for finding the text of public laws, and identifying legislative histories.
Finding State Information
- Finding ODJFS Administrative Code in EffectWatch this short video for an example of finding ODJFS administrative code online.
Government Sources and Policy Organizations (Think Tanks)
Government Resources
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services"The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves."
- Administration for Children and Families"A division of HHS, ACF promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities."
- Administration for Community Living"ACL brings together the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the HHS Office on Disability to serve as the Federal agency responsible for increasing access to community supports, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across the lifespan."
- National Center for Health Statistics: Fast Stats A to Z"Selected statistics on a variety of health topics."
- National Institute of Mental Health"The mission of NIMH is "to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure."
- Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy"The Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy was created in 2012 as an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)4 organization that recognized the importance of the Congressional Social Work Caucus and sought to complement its mission and work in accordance with the rules of the United States House of Representatives."
Policy and Professional Organizations
- Society for Social Work and Research ResourcesSSWR is "a free-standing organization dedicated to the advancement of social work research."
- Institute for Research on Poverty"IRP is a center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States."
- Institute for Policy Studies"IPS is a community of public scholars and organizers linking peace, justice, and the environment in the U.S. and globally."
- Social Welfare Action Alliance"The Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA) is a national organization of progressive workers in human services."
- National Association of Social Workers"The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 145,000 members. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies."
- Pew Research Center for People and the Press"Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts."
- Public Agenda Online"Public Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps diverse leaders and citizens navigate complex, divisive issues and work together to find solutions."
- Urban Institute"The Urban Institute gathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government."
- UnidosUSUnidosUS, formerly National Council of La Raza (NCLR) (La Raza) is the United States' largest Latino nonprofit advocacy organization.
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)"The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination."
- National Council of NonprofitsThe nation’s largest network of nonprofits works to identify emerging trends, share proven practices, and promote solutions that benefit charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities"The Center conducts research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that policymakers consider the needs of low-income families and individuals in these debates."
- The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation"Kaiser is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the U.S., as well as the U.S. role in global health policy."
Questions? Ask your librarian!
Joanna Anderson
Contact:
Dunbar Library 120
(937) 775-3840
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Evaluation and Analysis: Scholarly Resources
- Public Affairs Index This link opens in a new window
Focus on national and global public policy issues such as human rights, public health, the environment, housing, international commerce and conflict. Articles from scholarly journals, conference papers, trade publications and government documents provide up-to-date information on a broad range of worldwide contemporary topics.
- Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Produced by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), this collection provides indexing and abstracts for more than 500 social work and human services journals. Coverage includes therapy, education, human services, addiction, child and family welfare, mental health and more.
Contact Kayla if you have questions about ways to make your search more effective in these databases.
- Social Sciences Citation Index This link opens in a new window
This multidisciplinary resource indexes journal literature of the social sciences. Represented disciplines include anthropology, business, communication, criminology, demography, ethnic and racial studies, gender studies, history, law, political science, psychology, religion, social psychology, sociology, social work, and urban studies. Search by topic, keyword, or author. Identify articles that cited a previous work. Links to full-text occur when available. Also known as SSCI.
- SocINDEX This link opens in a new window
Search extensively indexed books, monographs, and conference papers. This index features citations with subject headings from a sociology-specific thesaurus designed by expert lexicographers. SocINDEX covers all subdisciplines of sociology such as anthropology, criminology, demography, ethnic, racial, and gender studies, marriage, family, and social structures, and social work.