This is a 7 step guide on doing effective research for social work students. The resources are posted in sequential order below and in the tabs. The block on the right contains useful information on what is involved in research while the steps below contain the resources that you can utilize for your research. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us by using the chat option or contact information on the main page.
Good research involves taking the time to understand the project requirements, choose a topic, perform background research on your topic, craft the research questions/thesis, search for evidence and then finally write your paper. If you are new to research, we strongly recommend that you first review the links on the right hand side. After you have done that, we then recommend that you start with the steps outlined below.
Step 1: Look up key words to get a broad understanding of the topic topic by using the following dictionaries.
Search also the Oxford Reference Library which brings together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias, Oxford Reference. You will find results that range from short-entry, general reference to more in-depth articles on specialized subjects. .
Step 2. Search the Masland Library Catalog by Keyword, Author etc. to determine what resources are available onsite.
Step 3. Browse best bets Databases for Social Work. This option is also on the second tab above.
Step 4. Search Journals (online and in-print). Note also the tab on the top of this guide.
Step 5: Search specifically for eBooks and Books to research your topic in-depth. Search from the link below or from the Books/eBooks tab above.
Step 6. Also Search ALL the Masland Library Resources: Online and Onsite including Databases and eBooks
Step 7. Search DVD's and Videos. Note also the tab above.
If you have exhausted all the resources listed in the steps above and you still cannot locate the item for your research, we can still get the resources for you via Interlibrary Loan. See info. here for more details.
The following links are video tutorials on the various steps involved in effective research. If you are new to research, it is recommended that you view all these resources first.
This tool will search for books, ebooks, journals, etc. Filter by the controls on the left after you perform your search.