Find Sources - SW 4700 - Social and Economic Justice - Research Guides at Wright State University

Legislative History & Legal Analysis

Congress.gov
Find summaries and the status of current and past legislation.
Find relevant US Code
You can search by general topic or search for a law by its popular name.
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.
FindLaw
FindLaw's Cases and Codes section contains resources and links for both state and federal laws. This includes resources pertaining to constitutions, statutes, cases and more.
Wex Law
Use the legal encyclopedia to get general overviews about topics.
Ohio Legislature
Ohio Revised Code
Ohio Administrative Code
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
ODJFS Office of Legal and Acquisition Services
How to Locate the Text of a Public Law
This page from HeinOnline includes helpful suggestions for finding the text of public laws, and identifying legislative histories.

HeinOnline Academic
HeinOnline 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

Identifying Policy Organizations & Think Tanks

Identifying and Finding Think Tanks
Think Tank Directory from Harvard Kennedy School
List of Think Tanks in the United States
Not a comprehensive list but a good starting point to discovering more about a specific think tank and their positions on policy and issues.

Organizations of Interest

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."
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."
Society for Social Work and Research
SSWR is "a free-standing organization dedicated to the advancement of social work research."
National Council of Nonprofits
The 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.

Statistics

USA Facts
"USAFacts is a new data-driven portrait of the American population, our government’s finances, and government’s impact on society." All information is gathered from publicly available data sources

Sage Data (Data Planet) This link opens in a new window
Includes local, state, and business statistical categories. Search data series for all U.S. States and the District of Columbia, or by counties, cities, and metropolitan statistical areas down to the zip code level. Download data or use data visualization tools.

Census Data
The primary tool for finding statistics collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

News & Public Opinion

Public Opinion

Pew Research Center
This list of topics is searchable and browsable
Gallup
Search or use the topics list
Kaiser Family Foundation
Health tracking poll with issues from abortion and ACA repeal to wellness programs and Zika
Polling Report
Searchable and browsable list of topics from across various polling organizations

News

Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Search the full-text for regional U.S. newspapers and national and international newspapers, newswires, and TV and radio news transcripts. Several national and many regional news sources are included full-text. Abstracts of articles from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition are also available.

Google News
"Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world"
C-SPAN
"Televises many proceedings of the United States federal government, as well as other public affairs programming"

Access World News This link opens in a new window
Access World News is a comprehensive resource that includes news publications from around the world. These sources include major national and international newspapers, as well as local and regional titles. Access World News is updated daily to keep students informed of current issues and events, and it includes deep archives that provide background information on important topics, enabling students to trace an issue or event over a period of time.

Government Organizations

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."
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 Organizations (Think Tanks)

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."
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."
UnidosUS
UnidosUS, 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."
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."

SW 4700 - Social and Economic Justice: Find Sources

On This Page

Legislative History & Legal Analysis

Identifying Policy Organizations & Think Tanks

Organizations of Interest

Statistics

News & Public Opinion

Government Organizations

Policy Organizations (Think Tanks)