Where to Look?
| If you need | Then Try These | Which you'll find here |
|
Factual summary of events (e.g., key players, relevant dates, major events, etc) Commonly-accepted knowledge |
Subject-specific encyclopedias |
Sage Reference Online Gale Virtual Reference Library Encyclopedia of Social Work |
| Broad, but in-depth, overview | Books | Library catalog |
| Analysis of a particular aspect of an issue, trends that have resulted from an event, or theoretical explanations |
Scholarly articles Some think tank reports |
Subscription databases Targeted Google searches |
| Facts and details about events as they happen | Newspapers |
News websites and aggregators |
| Statistics |
Government agencies Think Tanks |
Targeted Google searches |
Articles: best databases to use
Note that these are just some of the databases that will be useful for you as you look for scholarly journal articles. The databases you use will depend on what your specific topic is. For example, if you are looking at violence again elderly women, you might want to include Ageline. If you are looking at issues of public policy, you might want to include Public Affairs Index. When you log into a database, select "choose databases" above the search bar to see what some of the various options are.
- Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new windowLimited Use: 4 users at a time.
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. - SocINDEX This link opens in a new windowSearch 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.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts This link opens in a new windowCovers crime trends, prevention, deterrence, juvenile delinquency, justice, police, courts, punishment and sentencing. Indexes international journal articles, books, and governmental and non-governmental reports.
- QuickSearch This link opens in a new windowQuickSearch combines results from many search tools for you to review in one list. Results come from the Wright State catalog and hundreds of library databases including all of our Ebscohost databases, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and others.
Subject Specific Encyclopedias
- Sage Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch and read entries from over one hundred social science and science specialized reference encyclopedias published by Sage.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowSearch hundreds of scholarly, subject-specific reference titles in many topic areas, including the arts, business, education, history, the sciences, technology, literature, and the social sciences. Excellent for in-depth overviews of terms or concepts. Search individual e-books or whole collections.
