Social Work
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
SSW Librarian is Gianna Gifford. Contact her at gianna.gifford@simmons.edu or 617-521-2777.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Encyclopedia of Social Work
Level 1 Reference HV35 .S6 1995 1997 and 2003 Supplements available.
A comprehensive, coherent resource for social work information and research, the Encyclopedia of Social Work presents signed, lengthy essays on numerous aspects of social work. Each entry includes an abstract, references, further reading list, a selection of key words and cross references, as well as pertinent definitions and an overview of the subject. The third volume has a biography section with articles on about 150 individuals who had a major impact on the profession; the appendices include the National Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics.
- Legal and Ethical Dictionary for Mental Health Professionals
Level 1 Reference KF3828 .A934 2003
This resource gives concise definitions for legal and ethical terms that may be encountered in counseling, mental health, and social work contexts. There are appendices for the codes of ethics for several professional organizations; contact information for relevant state licensure boards; mental health-related acronyms; and a list of websites for mental health professional organizations.
- Social Work Dictionary
Level 1 Reference HV12 .B37 2003
This reference provides brief definitions for terms and concepts used and understood by social workers, including terms from sociology, anthropology, medicine, law, psychology, and economics. The volume includes a chronology of significant developments in social work and welfare, as well as a list of commonly-used social work acronyms.
- Social Work Speaks
Level 2 Books HV88 .N36 1991 Held from 1988 onwards.
Published every three years by the National Association of Social Workers, this resource contains the public policy statements presented by the NASW Delegate Assembly on subjects from Adolescent Health to Youth Suicide. Besides the policy statements, each subject entry includes background material, an issue statement, legislative history, and references.
- Social Workers' Desk Reference
Level 1 Reference and Level 2 Books HV40 .S6464 2002
Designed for social work practitioners, this resource gives an authoritative and accessible overview of current social work theories and practices. Each of the 146 chapters provides tools and information such as best practices, program evaluations, step-by-step treatment plans, and validated assessment scales. A glossary at the back of the volume defines commonly-used terms in social work.
- Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare
Level 1 Reference HV40 .C635 2008
Overviews of social work topics include history, current issues, future projections, and resources. Each main topic has its own volume: The Profession of Social Work, Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Work Practice, and Social Policy and Policy Practice. This fourth volume on policy would be useful to anyone researching social policy, including those doing so outside the scope of the Social Work discipline.
- Counseling and Psychotherapy Transcripts, Client Narratives, and Reference Works
Simmons Eresource
A searchable collection containing real transcripts of therapy and counseling sessions and first-person narratives illuminating the experience of mental illness and its treatment, as well as reference works to contextualize the primary material.
Find Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Social Services Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
This database covers current research on social work, human services and related areas. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,300 serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews. It is updated monthly.
- Social Work Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
Social Work Abstracts, from the National Association of Social Workers, contains more than 45,000 records 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. Exceptional coverage of more than 450 journals in all areas of the profession, including theory and practice, services, social issues and social problems.
- PsycInfo
Simmons Eresource
The comprehensive international database of psychology covering over 1,900 leading psychological, psychiatric, and related publications. PsycInfo covers the academic, research and practice literature in psychology from over 45 countries in more than 30 languages. Includes relevant materials from related disciplines such as medicine, psychiatry, education, social work, law, criminology, social science, and organizational behavior. Indexes journals, dissertations, book chapters, books, technical reports, and other documents.Note: while PsycInfo is primarily a citation database, Simmons subscribes to a special enhanced version that includes the full text for articles from about 300 publications.
- Psychline
Free Online
An index of 2,000+ online psychology and social science journals. It links you to journal home pages and journal information on the web. You may use it to find out about existing journals in the field, contact publishers, browse tables of contents and abstracts, locate online articles, and much more. The PSYCLINE database covers English, German, French, Dutch, and Spanish language journals.
- Sociological Abstracts
Simmons Eresource
A key resource for finding published research in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database draws information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search.
- CINAHL
Simmons Eresource
Provides authoritative coverage of the literature in nursing and allied health. Over 1200 English-language nursing and allied health journals are indexed along with virtually all publications from the American Nurses' Association and the National League for Nursing. Selected journals in biomedicine, consumer health, health sciences librarianship, behavioral sciences, and education are also included. CINAHL also provides references to healthcare books, book chapters, pamphlets, audiovisuals, nursing dissertations, educational software, selected conference proceedings, standards of professional practice, nurse practice acts, critical paths, and research instruments.
Note: while CINAHL is primarily a citation database, Simmons subscribes to a special enhanced version that includes the full text for articles from about 250 publications.
- Health Reference Center
Simmons Eresource
Use this database to find articles on: fitness, pregnancy, medicine, nutrition, diseases, public health, occupational health & safety, alcohol and drug abuse, HMOs, prescription drugs, etc.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
Searching the Web
Simmons librarians have created a customized search engine that allows you
to find Social Work information on the free web.
Use this Social Work Google Custom Search Engine box to search all select, quality free web sites at the
same time:
You may also wish to go directly to, or bookmark, the Social Work Google Custom Search Engine
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
