Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias can be a great start for an overview of your topic. I recommend starting your work with the Encyclopedia of Social Work. Use the search box in the left column that says "Search within work." If you are writing your paper on a specific group, try searching on that group specifically (e.g., Asian Americans, senior citizens, etc). The encyclopedia will display entries it thinks closely match your group. Review those overviews for an introduction to the cultural group, implications for social work practice, and other sources.
Also consider searching within encyclopedias for issues that you're considering for your cultural group (e.g., housing, family, education).
- Encyclopedia of substance abuse prevention, treatment, & recovery [electronic resources] byISBN: 1412964504Publication Date: 2009
- Encyclopedia of prisons & correctional facilities [electronic resources] byISBN: 1412925355Publication Date: 2005
Articles: Databases
Search these databases for scholarly articles and professional publications. I recommend making your search more specific and precise than when you searched encyclopedias. Consider what the main ideas of your question are. For example, if you're writing a paper on Arab Americans, you might have read in the Encyclopedia of Social Work that family is a strong part of Arab American life and has a role in how individuals view their identity. You might do a search on (family and identity and Arab American) in QuickSearch to find articles that talk about all three of those ideas.
Don't try to find everything in one article. For example, if you also read that there are many stereotypes about Arab Americans, particularly when it comes to gender roles, you would want to do a separate search on that, rather than including it in the search for family. You could, for example, do a search on (stereotype and gender and Arab American). I would not, though, do a search on (family and identity and stereotype and gender and Arab American) because it's asking for too many things at one time.
For more information on searching databases, check out our online workshop, Stop Searching and Start Finding.
- QuickSearch This link opens in a new window
QuickSearch 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.
- Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new windowProduced 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 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.
- 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.
- APA PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Indexes psychology literature and related disciplines including psychiatry, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, cognitive science, and linguistics. Includes journals and book chapters. Use Historic PsycINFO to identify literature published as early as the 1920s. Links occur to full-text when available.
Government Sources
- 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 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 Institute of Mental HealthThe 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 Social Work CaucusThe SCWC was launched in March 2011 to "create a platform on the Hill representing the interests of over 600,000 social workers throughout the United States who positively impact the lives of the elderly, the disadvantaged, children, veterans, or other individuals in need of guidance and direction in their lives."
Tests, Measures, and Data Sets
- RCMDThe Resource Center for Minority Data is an initiative of ICPSR to focus on minority populations.
- Wright State University Libraries' Statistical Data GuideFor more sources of statistical data on a variety of topics
- Wright State University Libraries' Test And Measurements GuideFor information on locating and evaluating scales, tests and measurements
Organizing Sources for a Literature Review
"Organization is essential as you work from start to finish of your [research] project. Good organization will allow you to see where you have been and help you to see how to proceed.
- Staying organized throughout your research will help you to avoid repeating ineffective searches.
- When it comes to writing your literature review, staying organized will provide you a concise overview of the research you have located, and help you group thoughts and ideas.
- As you write your literature review section you may* need to explain to your readers how you conducted your research.
- This explanation does not need to be lengthy but you will need to share with your readers the databases and keywords that you used to find your research articles. This information can help future researchers pick up where your research left off."
- Walden University Library, Library Guide to Capstone Literature Reviews: Get & Stay Organized
*Make sure to review your assignment requirements
Use the following organizational tools to help you throughout the literature search process. When you read articles, it's helpful to think about them in the context of your research question, theory, and hypothesis. These documents allow you to compile details about your sources, such as citation information, purpose, methodologies, implications, and critiques. The documents can also help with identifying similarities and themes between articles and authors.
Questions? Ask Your librarian!
