Research Guides: Social Work: Start Your Research Here

My Profile

Linda Cifelli

Ask a Librarian

Listed below are options available for you to contact a reference librarian and ask for help with your research.

LibAnswers (FAQ)
In Person
E-mail
Phone
TXT
Text us at 908-287-7629
Make an Appointment

Related Research Guides

Education
Psychology
Reference Resources Features resources helpful for ready-reference questions: when you need quick access to facts, definitions, statistics, biographical information, maps, and so on.

Guide Editor

Jennifer Stevenson edited and updated this guide Fall 2022.

OER

Click on the link below for Open Educational Resources on Social Work

Mason OER Metafinder

Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more. Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree

Electronic Resource 2019

Relationship-Based Social Work, Second Edition

Electronic Resource 2018

Participatory social work : research, practice, education

Electronic Resource 2019

Politics of Policy Change: Welfare, Medicare, and Social Security Reform in the United States

Electronic Resource 2012

Professional Writing for Social Work Practice

Electronic Resource 2017

Queer social work : cases for LGBTQ+ affirmative practice

Electronic Resource 2019

SAGE Handbook of Social Work Research

Electronic Resource 2010

School Services Sourcebook, Second Edition

Reference Collection (Second Floor) 2013

Social Work ASWB Clinical Exam Prep Guide

Electronic Resource 2015

Social Work ASWB Masters Exam Guide

Electronic Resource 2015

Social Work ASWB Masters Exam Guide, Second Edition

Electronic Resource 2017

Welfare words : critical social work & social policy

Electronic Resource 2017

Recommended Statistics Databases

The following databases provide access to statistics and other kinds of data.

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Statista This link opens in a new window

Recommended Tests and Measures Databases

The following databases provide information that will help you identify psychological tests and measuring instruments.

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) (OvidSP) This link opens in a new window
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print (EBSCOhost) (VALE) This link opens in a new window
PsycTests (EBSCOhost) (VALE) This link opens in a new window

Recommended Multimedia Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

Counseling and Therapy in Video (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new window Provides access to a collection of online videos that enable students to observe the practice of social work, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling.
Films on Demand (Infobase Learning) This link opens in a new window Films on Demand provides access to "video and multimedia for academic, vocational and life-skills content." Click "Collections" to access videos in various subject areas, such as Art & Architecture, Biology, Business & Economics, Criminal Justice & Law, Education, English, Gender & Sexuality, Guidance & Counseling, Health & Medicine, History, Psychology, and more. Also features Archival Films & Newsreels.

Recommended Online Reference Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

CQ Almanac (CQ Press/Congressional Quarterly) This link opens in a new window "The CQ Almanac Online Edition brings together over sixty-three years of authoritative Congressional reporting in one, easy-to-use resource. The CQ Almanac offers original analysis and data on major legislation and political dates during each Congressional session back to 1945."
DSM-V Online (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition; American Psychiatric Association) This link opens in a new window "This is the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-V."
Encyclopedia of Social Work (National Association of Social Workers Press and Oxford University Press) This link opens in a new window Provides overview articles, on key topics ranging from international issues to ethical standards, including succinct biographies of key figures in social work history, updated on a monthly basis. NOTE: Permits only three simultaneous users.
LexisNexis -- Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) (VALE) This link opens in a new window Offers business, news, and legal information from sources such as newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, wire services, and transcripts. Also features company profiles, detailed financials, SWOT analyses, industry reports, and SEC filings, as well as federal and state cases and statutes, federal regulations, and state administrative codes. This database replaces LexisNexis Academic.
NASW Clinical Register (OvidSP) (VALE) This link opens in a new window Produced by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), offers a directory of clinical social workers who have fulfilled national professional criteria regarding education and experience.
Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window Kean University's subscription to Oxford Bibliographies provides subject modules focusing on Criminology, Education, Psychology, and Social Work. For these modules, "leading scholars have produced a literary guide to the most important and significant sources in an area of study they know best. The guides feature a selective list of bibliographic citations supported by direct recommendations about which sources to consult."
Oxford Reference (Oxford University Press) This link opens in a new window Contains facts, figures, definitions, quotations, and translations from 300+ Oxford reference titles, as well as in-depth, scholarly articles from titles in the Oxford Companions series and Oxford Digital Reference Shelf.
SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new window Provides reference resources such as subject-focused dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference materials published by SAGE.
Social Work Abstracts (Ovid) (VALE) This link opens in a new window Features indexing and abstracting of journals produced by the National Association of Social Workers, Inc., and covers literature of the social work field, including theory and practice, areas of service, social issues, and social problems from 1968 to the present.
Scopus (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window Features citations and abstracts from peer-reviewed literature (including open access journals), trade journals, books, patent records, and conference proceedings. Scopus offers many tools for analysis, assessment, and comparison of authors, citations, and periodicals. Subject coverage includes science, technology, medicine, social science, and humanities.

Grant Funding and Proposal Writing Research Resources

If you need to gather information about grant-funding opportunities, we recommend that you consult the Grant Funding and Proposal Writing Research Guide.