SWRK 1000 - Introduction to Social Work - Social Work Guide - Research Guides at Saint Louis University Libraries

This course page was created for students in SWRK 1000: Introduction to Social Work. This is just a selection of sources that may be useful to you in this course. Please explore the full Social Work Library Guide, especially if this is your major. Contact your Social Work Librarian (Rebecca Hyde) with questions or to make an appointment for an in-depth research consultation. For quick and/or general questions you can contact Rebecca or use our 24/5 chat assistance to get help with your research!

Background Information

Encyclopedia of Social Work This link opens in a new window
From NASW and Oxford University Press, this is a continuously updated reference work updated monthly. Start here to read background and learn more about your topic.

Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window
1980-present.Indexes and abstracts over 1,400 scholarly journals and magazines in the social services in addition to social work dissertations.
SLUth - Search Plus This link opens in a new window
Find journal articles across all disciplines, plus newspaper articles, books, ebooks and more! Databases searched in SLUth include: Social Work Abstracts, Academic Search Complete, Ageline, CINHAL, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Source, ERIC, and more.

Statitsics and Government Sources

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is a statistics portal that includes data on a wide variety of topics, as well as pre-made tables and charts you can use (with citation) in your papers & presentations.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
PolicyMap is a multi-disciplinary interactive online mapping and visualization tool that provides access to data, including, demographic, spending, housing, quality of life, economy, health, and more.

Social Work Statistics Page
Find more useful statistical sources on the Social Work Statistics page!
CRS Reports
The Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan agency that produces research reports and briefs on major policy issues and any topic requested by a member of Congress. This official site is publicly available and includes recent reports. SLU database ProQuest Congressional includes historical reports going back to 1914.

20 Minute Rule

Have you already spent 20 minutes search and you feel like you're hitting a wall? Stop what you're doing and contact your librarian!

Research takes time, and when you're working on research for a paper you might spend hours researching and try many, many searches before you're done. But you shouldn't spend hours searching and finding nothing. If you spend 20-30 minutes on your research and you're not finding anything remotely relevant, please stop what you're doing and contact your librarian! I can help you develop search search strategy, and maybe choose another database more suited for your topic.

APA Citation

APA Citation Information
Social Work Guide page on APA citation format and writing

Good to know!

You have access to the New York Times & Wall Street Journal through SLU! Click below and follow the directions to set up your free account!

New York Times Digital Subscription This link opens in a new window
1851-present. Use this link to register for a SLU NYT online account using your @slu.edu or @health.slu.edu email address. Accounts provide SLU students, faculty, and staff with subscriber access to NYTimes.com or the NYT app.
Wall Street Journal Digital Subscription This link opens in a new window
The SLU Community can activate their complimentary memberships by visiting this link, logging into the SLU school portal, and creating a WSJ account on the registration page. Readers have complete and personalized digital access to The Wall Street Journal and the WSJ app.