SWK 662 Applied Research in Social Work
Finding Published Articles about Social Service Programs and Evaluations
Use a Database to find citations to articles on your topic. Links to Selected Subscription Databases for Social Work are available here. (This link will open in a new tab so that you can move between this page and the databases if you want.)
I Evaluating Sources
II. Search strategies: keyword searches with truncation and phrase searching
III.Recommended Databases: Advanced Search Strategies and Descriptors
IV. Other Recommended Databases Covering Specific Topics
V. I found some citations to articles that I want in a database. Where do I find the text?
VI. Locating Tests and Measurements
In many databases, you will find a limit (such as a checkbox) for peer reviewed (or refereed) sources. This allows you to limit your search to more scholarly, reliable results.
Peer review The process used by publishers and editors of academic journals to provide a chance for scholars to examine and critique a paper or monograph before it is published to help ensure its integrity and veracity.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Timothy Darvill. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Syracuse Univeristy. 23 September 2005 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t102.e3052>
In most databases, you can truncate any term to find varied endings with the same root.
Examples of truncation:
Use To find abus* abuse, abused, abusive, etc. assess* assess, assesses, assessment, assessments, assessing depress* depressed, depression, etc. evaluat* evaluate, evaluation, evaluated, etc. effect* effect, effective, effectiveness, etc. effic* efficacy, efficacious, efficaciously, efficaciousness, etc. outcome* outcome, outcomes, etc. prison* prison, prisons, prisoner, prisoners, etc. program* program, programs, programming, etc. Some databases use a ? or other symbol instead of * for truncation. Check the help screen, or just try a search to see if a symbol works. Psycinfo, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, and Social Work Abstracts use *.
Phrase searching is useful in some databases when you want to find an exact phrase.
A search for: Would find: "family violence" citations that include the exact phrase family violence family violence citations that only include the word family and citations that only include the word violence "detention center" citations that include the exact phrase detention center detention center citations that only include the word detention and citations that only include the word violence "child abuse" citations that include the exact phrase child abuse child abuse citations that only include the word child and citations that only include the word abuse
III. Recommended Databases: Advanced Search Strategies and Descriptors
1. Psycinfo
2. Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts
3. Social Work Abstracts
Description: International literature in psychology and related behavioral and social sciences, including psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, education, pharmacology, child and family studies, marriage and family therapy, gerontology, and linguistics. 1887 - present; updated monthly.Advanced Search : Look at the many fields Psycinfo offers to limit your search at the bottom of the Advanced Search page, such as:
- peer review
- age group
- methodology (clinical case study, experimental, quantitative, qualitative, etc.)
Another useful search strategy is to use the link for Thesaurus to browse the terms (descriptors) under which Psycinfo's indexers have classified the entries in the database.
Descriptors are the main topics of the entries in the database. Searching with descriptors will allow you to focus and narrow your search. Location and sample of Psycinfo's Thesaurus.
2. Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts use the same interface. They look the same and work the same way for the most part.
Social Services Abstracts Description: Bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,500 serials publications from 1980-present and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews.Sociological Abstratcts Description: Bibliographic coverage of sociology, social work, aging, gerontology, child and family studies, marriage and family therapy and other social sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,700 serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. Covers 1963 to the present; updated six times per year.
Advanced Search: Unlike Psycinfo, there are no separate fields to limit for age group or methodology. Somewhat similar limits are available by using the Thesaurus (or descriptors).
Descriptors are the main topics of the entries in the database, under which the entries have been classified by the indexer. Searching with descriptors will allow you to focus and narrow your search.
One way to search using descriptors is to choose "descriptors" in one of the pulldown menus in Advanced Search. Then, in a search box on the same line as the line where you chose descriptor, type any one or more descriptors or descriptor phrases. Here are some useful descriptors for Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts .
Sample search using descriptors in Social Services Abstracts or Sociological Abstracts:
To find additional descriptors, use the Thesaurus tab under the Search Tools tab in Social Services Abstracts or Sociological Abstracts. See Example
Another way to find additional descriptors is to observe the descriptors in the results of your search. See Example
Description: More than 26,000 records, spanning 1977 to the present, from social work and other related journals on topics such as homelessness, AIDS, child and family welfare, aging, substance abuse, legislation, community organization, and more. NASW Clinical Register database contains listing of registered social workers, including their address and phone numbers, education and specialization, type of practice and license information. Access Note: Two simultaneous users only.
Descriptors for Social Work Abstracts (examples) Case study
Evaluation
Outcomes
Performance
Program
Program-evaluation
Program-effectiveness
Research
Service-utilization
IV. Additional Recommended Databases Covering Specific Topics
Ageline
Child Abuse, Child Welfare, and Adoption
Criminal Justice AbstractsEducation Abstracts
ERICNational Criminal Justice Reference Service
PsycArticles
Links to these and more Selected Subscription Databases for Social Work are available here. (This link will open in a new tab so that you can move between this page and the databases if you want.)Please contact Adina Mulliken for help finding citations to articles on your topic if needed.
Citation style guides
These links explain how to write citations for the bibliography of your paper. More thorough explanations are available in Publication manual of the American Psychological Association and other style guides, located at the Reference Desk in Bird Library.Please Ask Us for help locating text of articles if needed.
VI. Locating Tests and Measurements
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