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Library Session Goals | Reference Resources | Data and Statistics | Scholarly Research | Articles | Writing a Literature Review | Books & Journals | Citing Sources | Research Assistance
Social Work 595: Provides a doctoral level overview of quantitative designs and conceptual issues in social work research. It presents a framework for structuring the statistical analysis and systematic evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of social interventions in achieving desired outcomes for diverse populations. Although the purpose is not to emphasize statistical training, the course will reinforce the learning of basic concepts, mathematical foundations, and assumptions underlying advanced applications of statistical description and causal inference.
1. Identify reference sources to assist with designing a quantitative research project.
2. Identify sources of social work research and evidence.
3. Understand how to structure an article database search.
4. Learn about citation management tools (Refworks).
Reference resources are sources of solid background info. All books are located in Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library reference collection unless otherwise noted.
309.12 So15
Encyclopedia of Social Work (online)
Comprehensive overview of social work from a United States perspective. Contains a topical outline of entries, directory of contributors, and comprehensive index.
361.32 So1344 2009
Social Worker’s Desk Reference
Resource for those engaged in the social work profession or for students looking to familiarize themselves with the techniques and strategies of intervention in the clinical setting.
808.066301 Sz71w 2011
Writing with Style: APA Style for Social Work
Information about how to write different sections of a paper, including writing a literature review.
361.0072 H1912010
The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods
Discusses both quantitative and qualitative research methods of study. Explores the foundations and types of studies of both methods of research. Includes a section on conceptual research (theory, history, literature reviews, and analysis).
361.32072 D6615p
Practice-Based Research in Social Work : a guide for reluctant researchers (SSHEL Stacks)
Explores practice-based research (PBR) using a variety of examples. The book also identifies the principles and methods of PBR such as identifying the research question, designing a study, writing literature reviews, gathering data and more.
361.32072 Y35r 2012
Research Methods for Social Workers (7th ed.) (SSHEL RCC)
Designed for a one-semester course on research methods at the undergraduate or foundation-level graduate social work level. Consistent with current Council on Social Work Education (CWSE) accreditation standards. Provides an overview of statistical analysis and evaluation research. Contains fourteen chapters including common methods for acquiring research data and data collection instruments. Each chapter includes a summary and discussion questions. An index is provided.
001.42 Sa184
The Sage Handbook of Quantitative Methodology for the Social Sciences. (SSHEL RCC and online)
Intended for applied statisticians, empirical researchers, and graduate students, this handbook offers an introduction to social science research methods and quantitative concepts. It's divided into six topical sections--scaling, testing and measurement, models for categorical data, models for multilevel data, models for latent variables, and foundational issues. Each chapter reviews the historical context for the topic; discusses current work, including examples; and provides a list of references for further reading. An index of researchers as well as a subject index is provided.
361.3072 Sa184
The Sage Handbook of Social Work Research (online)
This handbook includes a broad range of social work theory and research from an international perspective. The contributors engage critically with the nature and role of social work research and evaluation. The book is divided into sections on the purposes, contexts, practices, and domains of social work research. Includes a bibliography of references for further reading and index.
001.433 Su791 2009
Survey Methodology (2nd ed.) (SSHEL RCC)
Intended as a textbook for a one-semester, graduate-level course in survey methodology, it describes the basic principles of survey design, provides advice on executing surveys, and explores the research underlying current practice. Basic knowledge of statistics is required to understand the content. Each chapter includes suggestions for further reading and practice exercises. References and an index are included.
Understanding Social Work Research (online)
Introductory book for social work students that discusses connecting theories and concepts to research.
361.3072 Sa184
The SAGE Handbook of Social Work Research (online)
Divided into sections on the purposes, contexts, practices, and domains of social work research.
519.5 F853s 2011
Social Statistics for a Diverse Society. 6th ed. 2011.
This revised and updated introductory statistics textbook is intended to teach students the basics of statistics while providing real-world social science contexts for the statistics principles and practices. Complicated mathematical formulas are downplayed in favor of prose explanations and common sense. This volume integrates the teaching of SPSS for Windows using data from the General Social Survey, Health Information National Trends Survey, and Monitoring the Future. Included throughout are numerous tables, graphs, and charts, as well as in-chapter definitions. Each chapter includes clearly-marked learning objectives, summarized main points, lists of key terms, SPSS demonstrations and problems, and practice exercises. Includes six appendices, answer keys for select practice questions, a glossary, endnotes, and an index.
The Online Reference Collection is a good place to search larger collections of encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks by keyword. It's also possible to browse an specific online reference source by subject. Suggestions of specific reference sources are listed after the collection name.
Data.gov
Data.gov increases the ability of the public to easily find, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the Federal Government. Data.gov provides descriptions of the Federal datasets (metadata), information about how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage government datasets.
ICPSR: InterUniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research
ICPSR offers more than 500,000 digital files containing social science research data. Disciplines represented include political science, sociology, demography, economics, history, gerontology, criminal justice, public health, foreign policy, terrorism, health and medical care, early education, education, racial and ethnic minorities, psychology, law, substance abuse and mental health, and more.
IPUMS
Harmonized data on people in the U.S. census and American Community Survey, from 1850 to the present
For additional data resources, see the Numeric Data Resources guide.
Data sharing plans and data management plans are required by some funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data respositories, places to store data, are usually either institution- or discipline-specific. University of Illinois' IDEALS is one repository option for University of Illinois faculty, staff and students.
The Scholarly Commons (3rd floor, Main Library) can assist researchers with analyzing, using, interpreting, and managing data. Their computers have statistical analysis software such as SAS, SPSS, PSPP, SaTScan, R, and Stata. In addition, see their Numeric and Spatial Data Services page.
Databib
A tool to help you find online repositories of research data.
U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Bureau is for anyone looking for statistics on social, demographic or economic data on a national, state or local level. Information is available from a variety of sources, including the decennial censuses from 1990 to 2010, the American Community Survey, and the Economic Census.
FactFinder
The go-to source for demographic information about the United States. It’s possible to browse or search for statistics by topic, geography, race and ethnic groups, or industry codes.
For additional sources of statistics, see the Sources of Statistics in Social Sciences, Health, and Education.
Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the publication of the material. After reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the publisher if the document should be published or if any changes should be made prior to publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials are significant to the research and the literature of most academic fields because they assure readers that the information conveyed is reliable and timely.
Many article databases now allow you to limit your search to display only peer-reviewed (refereed) results. Use this option to eliminate guesswork and rest assured that your results are all from peer-reviewed sources. For more information about peer-reviewed articles, see the Research Articles and Peer-Reviewed Guide.
Note: beware the "scholarly" label...as we've seen, a source can be "scholarly" but not necessarily peer-reviewed. Look for "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" to be sure.
Scholarly journal articles are one of the primary means of communicating research ideas. They are an important component of academic research and give you some insight into ongoing debates and scholarly conversations about your topic. You can find articles through database searches.
300.72 H1917 2010
Sage Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & Behavioral Research
Provides a broad overview of research methodologies in the social sciences. Includes references at the end of each chapter as well as an author and subject index.
University of California Santa Cruz
Brief overview of a literature review, includes a list of stages for writing a lit review. From the University Library.
Language Center, Asian Institute of Technology
Detailed explanation about what a literature review is and how to write one.
University of North Carolina
Detailed information about writing a literature review. From the College of Arts & Sciences Writing Center.
Library catalogs are used for two purposes. First, if you know exactly what you are looking for, for example you know the exact title or an author's name. This works for book titles and journal titles. Second, you can use library catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching.
Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
Status - is it available for you to check out?
Guidelines for citing electronic and print resources are available from the Reference Library's Cite a Source page and the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library's Style and Writing Guide.
A great tool for writing papers, RefWorks helps you export bibliographic records from databases, change the citation styles as needed, and import the citation directly into a Word document so you can create bibliographies on the fly.
Use the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library's Ask-A-Librarian service to contact a librarian via Instant Messenger/chat, email, phone, or in person.
Contact a librarian to request an appointment for an in-depth Research Consultation.
University LibraryFor comments on this page contact: Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library
Last modified by: Paige Cunningham on 4/22/13