Social Work Resources

The following is a selective list of Internet resources that focus on the interests of the social work profession. The sites have been selected by the HS/HSL Liaison to the School of Social Work, Anna Tatro. The selection criteria used to choose the following sites may also be of use to you when evaluating a web site. If you have any suggestions for additional sites, or if you are unable to access a site, please contact Anna at atatro@hshsl.umaryland.edu or (410) 706-7374.

Associations/Organizations

Board Exams/Licensure Resources

Citing Information

Databases

The following is a selected list chosen from the HS/HSL list of databases.

  • Academic Search Premier
    Good starting point to see what is available on your topic. The world's largest scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database containing full text for nearly 4,650 serials, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed publications. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 8,200 journals in the collection. This scholarly collection offers information in nearly every area of academic study.
  • Ageline
    Specific to the older population. Produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP. The references in Ageline come from the gerontology collection of AARP's Research Information Center, as well as selected articles from 300 magazines and journals, aging-related dissertations from UMI's Dissertations Abstracts database, and descriptions of videos. It covers topics such as government-sponsored programs for elders, healthcare costs and policy, elder care, financial and retirement planning, and fitness. 1978 - present. Updated three times annually.
  • CQ Researcher
    Major news topics. The CQ Researcher explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. CQ Researcher report offers in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. The CQ Researcher is the choice of researchers seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues shaping our world.
  • Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
    Great place to search for coping, end-of-life care, and other helping profession specific topics. Indexes majority of English-language nursing journals including publications from state nursing associations, ANA & NLN publications, and primary journals from allied health disciplines. Links to selected full-text articles. 1982 to present. Updated monthly.
  • ETS
    The Test Collection at ETS is a library of more than 25,000 tests and other measurement devices that makes information on standardized tests and research instruments available to researchers, graduate students, and teachers. Collected from the early 1900s to the present, the Test Collection at ETS is the largest such compilation in the world.
  • Google Scholar
    Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations. Printable Tip Sheet
  • Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI)
    This database serves as a way to find information on evaluation tests and measurements, as well as to find citations to assist locating copies of these instruments. Covers 1985 – present. Updated quarterly.
  • MEDLINE
    Use this database when searching for a medical related topic.
    The MEDLINE database from the National Library of Medicine includes citations with abstracts from approximately 3,900 biomedical, dental and nursing journals. MEDLINE encompasses information from Index Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, International Nursing Index and selected journals. Links to over 80 full-text journals (Journals @ Ovid Full Text) are provided. The database is divided into various year segments.
    For a tutorial go to: http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/services/training/medline/01.html
  • National Newspapers Collection
    Use this if you are looking for newspaper articles
    The newspapers in this collection are the Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post
  • PILOTS - Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress
    The PILOTS database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its goal is to include citations to all literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events.
  • PsycINFO
    The American Psychological Association authors this index which provides citations with abstracts of journal articles, dissertations, book chapters, technical reports and other documents pertaining to the scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. PsycINFO contains more than 2 million records spanning 1806 to the present and is updated weekly. Printable Tip Sheet Quick Reference Guide
  • Social Sciences Citation Index
    A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of the social sciences. Indexes 1,700 journals spanning 50 disciplines, as well as individually selected items from over 3,300 of the world's leading scientific and technical journals. 1987 - present. Updated weekly. (You will also be searching a 2nd database called Science Citation Index unless you uncheck the box for it at the bottom of the page.) Printable Tip Sheet
  • Social Services Abstracts (Main database to find Social Work literature.)
    Provides 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 1,640 serials and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews. Updated monthly. 1980-present. Printable Tip Sheet
  • Sociological Abstracts (Main database to find Social Work literature.)
    A resource for accessing international information about research sponsored in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Includes citations or abstracts for 1,809 serials as well as for books, book chapters, dissertations and conference papers. Subjects covered include anthropology, business, criminology, demography, education, law, and social psychology. 1963 - present. Updated monthly. Printable Tip Sheet
  • Ulrich’s Web
    Use this database to determine if the journal or journal article is peer-reviewed.
  • Westlaw
    Westlaw Campus provides online access to the full text of national and international newspapers, magazines and trade publications, as well as federal and state statutes and regulations, law review articles, and a legal encyclopedia. Quick Reference Guide

Electronic Books

Evaluating Websites

Literature Review

Specific Topics

Statistics

Tests and Measurements

Last edited on Thursday, April 9, 2009