Home - SW 6218/6265 - Social Work Research - Lee - LibGuides at University of Northern Iowa

Developing a Research Strategy slides

General Databases (Interdisciplinary)

OneSearch (Rod Library)
Main search box on library's website. Searches books, ebooks, scholarly articles, news articles, films, and more.
Google Scholar
UNI's Google Scholar links to Rod Library subscription resources.

Focused Databases

Valid CatID & passphrase required for off-campus access.

Social Work Abstracts (EBSCO)
450+ social work and human services journals. Produced by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Social Services Abstracts (ProQuest)
Research on human services, family services, social work, and social policy.

Family & Society Studies Worldwide (EBSCO)
Database designed specifically for research in Family Services.
APA PsycInfo
Psychology and behavior. Can limit by type of research, methodology, age, gender, etc.
Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest)
Large database covering all the social sciences.

Gender Studies Database

Communication & Mass Media Complete
CMMC incorporates CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association) and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Penn State) along with numerous other journals to create a research and reference resource of unprecedented scope and depth in the communication and mass media fields.
PubMed
The database for medical and health sciences.
(This link provides the Find it! @ UNI software for off-campus access).

ERIC
Research in education.
Criminal Justice Periodicals (ProQuest)
Comprehensive collection of criminal justice journals.

Criminal Justice Abstracts (EBSCO)
Records covering areas related to criminal justice & criminology. It contains more than 200,000 from the most important sources within the discipline. (Not full-text, so use "FindIt@UNI" button)
Public Affairs Index (EBSCO)
Public Affairs Index is a bibliographic database covering all aspects of national and global contemporary public policy issues ranging from public health, the environment, housing, human and civil rights, to international commerce and conflict. This database draws from a diverse array of scholarly journals, conference papers, trade publications and government documents to provide up-to-date information on a broad range of topics of concern to the world today.

All Rod Library databases
To limit to databases for particular subjects, select arrow next to All Subjects. Depending on your topic, you might consider searching databases from Social Work, Psychology, Family Services, Criminology, Education, etc.

Is it empirical?

Empirical = based on observable evidence. An article is likely empirical IF:

It appears in a scholarly/peer-reviewed journal
The researchers gathered data
- Look in: Abstract, Method(ology) section
- Can be quantitative (most surveys) and/or qualitative (interviews, focus groups)
Authors report on an experiment/observation
It has these normal sections (may vary):
- Introduction/Literature Review
- Methodology
- Results
- Discussion/Conclusion
- References

NOT empirical:
- Literature review, even if in scholarly journal (authors only use published sources)
  - Use these to point you to other sources & get topic background!
- Theoretical article, even if in scholarly journal
- Essay, even if in scholarly journal

Gray area (check with your professor):
- Scholarly/peer-reviewed article in which authors analyze data someone else collected ("secondary data analysis")
- Case studies reporting on one or a few particular clients/organizations

Research Question Mad Libs!

One example of how to put together a draft research question, Mad Libs style! Notice where the PICOT elements fit? This question doesn't have the optional Comparison or Time elements of PICOT. Simpler is often better!

How does (Independent Variable aka Intervention) influence (Dependent Variable aka measurable Outcome) among (specific Population)?

SW 6218/6265 - Social Work Research - Lee

Your Librarian

PICOT

Road Map worksheet

Past SW Graduate Research Papers

Known-article search

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Other Guides of Interest

YouTube help

Developing a Research Strategy slides

General Databases (Interdisciplinary)

Focused Databases

Is it empirical?

Research Question Mad Libs!