Social Work 221: Social Work and Social Welfare

Welcome to the Library Research Guide for Social Work 221: Social Work & Social Welfare! It includes information and resources designed to aid you in locating research and managing sources for your assignments this semester.

For research questions:

• Email me at schaez1@stolaf.edu or schedule a research consultation if you have any questions!

For writing help:

• Make an appointment with the Writing Desk for assistance with organizing ideas and improving your writing style.

Slide 1: Social Work 221: Social Work and Social Welfare

Library Research Slideshow

Slide 2: Goals

• Find background information in reference sources to identify a social reformer to research
• Use keywords and subject headings to find sources ABOUT a social reformer
• Find sources BY a social reformer

Slide 3: Find Reference Sources

Slide 4: Identify a Social Reformer

If you haven’t identified a social reformer you would like to research, go to the Find Background Info tab on the Course Research Guide and use these reference sources to browse short encyclopedia entries about a variety of reformers.

[Image: the Find Background Info tab of the Course Research Guide with arrows pointing at two encyclopedias.]

Slide 5: Find Background Information

Further down on the Find Background Info tab, you’ll find references sources that can help provide background information about your reformer and the time in which they lived and worked. 

[Image: the Find Background Info tab of the Course Research Guide with arrows pointing at the Encyclopedia Collections and E-books for Chronological Context Boxes.]

Slide 6: Find Background Information

Credo Reference is a multi-disciplinary source that includes reference articles from thousands of online encyclopedias.

Keep in mind that you may not find an encyclopedia entry about your exact reformer so be sure to also search for entries on the kind of work they did, the time period in which they lived/worked, or other related concepts.

[Image: the Credo Reference webpage for Mother Theresa.]

Slide 7: Find Background Information

Another useful resource for finding background information is Wikipedia. This is especially true if you are researching a current topic or one that has been historically understudied.

Gather important facts and be on the lookout for potential topics or concepts to research further in library resources. 

Keep in mind that anyone can edit a Wikipedia entry, so be sure verify all information in other sources.

[Image: the Wikipedia page for Frederick Douglass.]

Slide 8: Find Sources ABOUT your Reformer

Slide 9: Find Sources ABOUT your Reformer

There are a variety of places to look for sources that have been written about your reformer. There may be books, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, or other types of sources about your reformer. 

The Course Research Guide includes several starting points, including Catalyst for books and suggested databases for articles in journals and newspapers.

[Image: the Sources Written ABOUT Your Reformer tab of the Course Research Guide.]

Slide 10: Search Catalyst for Books

[Images: the Catalyst Book search box on the Course Research Guide and the Catalyst Search webpage, each with a search for Jane Addams.]

The search box on the Course Research Guide will limit your results to books in Catalyst.

Slide 11: 

[Images: the Catalyst entry for a book titled Jane Addams : spirit in action. An arrow points at the Subject Term Addams, Jane, 1860-1935.]

Once you find a book, scroll down to the Details section to find the “Subjects” for that book. Click on any of these to find other books in Catalyst that share the same Subject.

Slide 12: Search for articles about your reformer

On the Course Research Guide, you’ll find a box with recommended library databases to search for scholarly journal articles. 

Read the descriptions of these databases to determine which will be the best option for your research topic.

Keep in mind that a single scholarly research article will be narrow and specific— think of these as the building blocks that establish what we know about a topic. 

[Image: the Sources Written ABOUT Your Reformer tab of the Course Research Guide.]

Slide 13: Advanced Search Tips

When searching in library databases, try some of these advanced search techniques:

Use OR to expand your search
“alternative energy” OR “solar power”

Use an asterisk to search multiple endings of a word
environ* = environment, environmental, etc.
immigra* = immigrant, immigration, etc.

[Image: a search box with these keywords entered: cellphone OR "cellular phone" OR "mobile phone".]

Slide 14: 

Here is an example search in the Social Work Abstracts database. This database contains articles published in a variety of social work and human services scholarly journals.

[Image: the Advanced Search page in the Social Work Abstracts database with the keyword Susan B. Anthony entered.]

Slide 15: Find Full Text

Some articles will have full text available right in the database.

Others will have only a Check Catalyst for Full Text! option. Click that to see if the full text is available in another library database.

[Images: two scholarly article pages in Social Work Abstracts with arrows pointing at two different options that may appear. One reads PDF and the other reads "Check Catalyst for Full Text!"]

Slide 16: Request Full Text

If no online access is available, request the article via Resource Sharing. 

Most articles are available electronically within 24 - 48 hours.

[Image: an arrow pointing at the "Get It" option for an article entry in Catalyst.]

Slide 17: Cite the Source

Use the toolbar to create a citation for your source. 

It’s usually also a good idea to save the permalink.

[Images: two arrows pointing the cite option and the share option on a scholarly article's page in Social Work Abstracts.]

Slide 18: Search for newspaper articles

Some reformers may not have any scholarly articles written about them. 

There may, however, be newspaper articles written about them during the time period in which they lived/worked. 

Search any of these databases on the Course Research Guide to find newspaper articles about your reformer.

[Image: the Find Newspaper Articles box on the Sources Written ABOUT Your Reformer tab of the Course Research Guide.]

Slide 19: Find Sources BY your Reformer

Slide 20: Find Sources BY your Reformer

Sources written by your reformer are sometimes called “primary sources” — firsthand accounts. 

It can be a bit tricky finding these sources, especially if your reformer was not a prolific writer or didn’t formally publish their writings. The Course Research Guide offers suggestions and tips for finding these primary sources.

[Image: the Sources Written BY Your Reformer tab of the Course Research Guide.]

Slide 21: Advanced Search

An Advanced Search by Author/Creator is a quick way to see if there are any published books written by your reformer.

[Image: the Advanced Search webpage for Catalyst, with the field set to Author/Creator and Jane Addams typed in the search box.]

Slide 22: Search by Keyword

Or, search by keyword to find other types of sources.

Try a search in Catalyst or in Google using one of the following keywords and your reformer's name:

source*
letter*
document*
correspondence
speech*
interview*

[Image: a magnifying glass.]

Slide 23: Questions? We’re here to help!

For additional help:

• Submit a question through our ticketing service: libraryhelp.stolaf.edu
• Schedule a research consultation with me or a writing and research tutor: go.stolaf.edu/appointment