This guide highlights some resources that can help you to find relevant materials (books, journal articles etc.) for your research. Use this guide in conjunction with the Research Methods in Social Work guide.
- Finding your topic and background information
When choosing your essay or research topic, in addition to looking at this Social Work guide, also consult the Library Catalogue (see the Use Omni Guide for tips on searching the library catalogue); the Research Methods in Social Work guide; and the Social Work web page. If you need help, you can contact the Social Work librarian or or make use of the Leddy Library's research help services. Research topics in Social Work may overlap with other subject areas such as Psychology, Indigenous Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, Sociology, Nursing, Education etc., so you may also want to look at the Resources by Subject web page and look at library guides for other relevant subject areas.
Encyclopedias and dictionaries may help to provide background information for your topic or definition of terms. The following is a select list of a few of these resources for Social Work. Look in the Library Catalogue (Omni) for additional resources:- Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work
- Encyclopedia of Social Work
- Dictionary of Social Work and Social Care
- Dictionary of Psychology
- Encyclopedia of Disability
- Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development
- Encyclopedia of Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Encyclopedia of Educational Psychology
- Encyclopedia of School Psychology
- Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment
- Encyclopedia of Human Rights
- Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology
- Encyclopedia of Social Psychology
- Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
- Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories
- Encyclopedia of Gender and Society
- Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures
- Encyclopedia of Social Theory
- The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Dictionary of Neurological Signs
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Gale Virtual Reference Library
- Sage Knowledge
- Sage Research Methods Online
- Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
- Encyclopedia of Research Design
- SAGE Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods
- Oxford Very Short Introductions
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Canadian Oxford Dictionary
- Oxford Paperback Thesaurus
- Finding books and bibliographies
Use the Library Catalogue (Omni) to find books and other resources for your topic. See the Research Methods in Social Work guide for search tips and strategies. You can also search in the Leddy Library's e-book collections for any electronic books that may be relevant for your topic. Just go to the Databases web page and limit your search to Ebook Collection under Resource Type. You can then search by subject or title for ebooks. The following is a select list of ebook collections:
- Journal articles
There are two specific Social Work databases:
To get access to more databases related to Social Work, go to the Social Work Subject page. If your topic overlaps with other subject areas, you can go to the Resources by Subject web page to get access to databases for other subject areas.
- Newspaper articles
To get access to newspaper databases, you can go to the Articles & Databases web page and choose News, Magazines and Periodicals under Resource Type. The following is a select list of some newspaper databases:
- Canadian Newsstream (includes full text to 300 Canadian newspapers, including The Windsor Star)
- ProQuest Recent Newspapers: Windsor Star
- CBCA Complete (covers all of the CBCA Complete databases and a wide range of publications including newspapers focusing on Canada and Canadian topics/issues)
- CPI.Q (Canadian Periodical Index)
- Factiva
- Mazina'igan
- Anishinabek News - contains information about "Anishinabek Nation current affairs, culture, political objectives and accomplishments"
- Métis Voyageur
- The Turtle Island News
- Windspeaker.com
- Ammsa.com
- Eureka
- Theses and dissertations
To get access to theses and dissertations, you can go to the Databases web page and choose Theses and Dissertations under Resource Type. The following is a select list of some theses and dissertations databases:
- Systematic reviews
The following resources may be useful for locating systematic reviews for your topic:
- Campbell Collaboration - provides access to systematic reviews in the areas of social welfare, disability, education, crime and justice, international development, business and management etc..
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews - provides access to systematic reviews and protocols pertaining to the effects of specific health care interventions
- Tests and Measurements
The following resources may be useful for locating tests and measurements for your topic:
You can also look in relevant subject databases for information about tests and measurements and in theses and dissertations databases.
- Citation indexes
- Videos
To get access to videos, you can search for your topic in the library catalogue (Omni) and restrict your search results to Video/Film. You can also go to the Databases web page and choose Audio and Video under Resource Type, then search by title or subject. The following is a select list of streaming video collections that may be of interest:
- Government information
Another useful resource is the Leddy Library’s Government Publications web page. This site provides direct links to various sources of government information at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, plus links to the United States and other international organizations. You can also get access to databases for government documents by going to the Databases web page and choosing to do a Subject search for Government Documents.
- Statistical information and data
The Leddy Library's Academic Data Centre provides access to a wide array of statistical and data resources including the following data and statistics research guides:
- Social Work Statistics
- Health Statistics and Data
- Psychology Data
- Women's Studies Statistics and Data
- Education Statistics and Data
- Windsor Area Statistics
- Qualitative Data
For a complete listing of data and statistics research guides see: Numeric Data
- Writing Help
The following web pages provide access to services and resources for writing help:
- Interlibrary Loan
If the Leddy Library can't give you access to the journal articles or books that you need, you can make use of the Leddy Library's Interlibrary Loan services.
- Websites
The following is a select list of websites that may be useful for your topic.
The following websites may be of interest for topics pertaining to Social Work:
- 211 South West Region Ontario - information on social, community, health and government services in Southwest Ontario
- Child and Youth Permanency Council of Canada
- Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Gender-Based Violence
- Association for Community Organization and Social Action
- Alliance for Healthier Communities
- British Association of Social Workers
- C. D. Howe Institute
- Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
- Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE)
- Canadian Association of Social Workers
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- Canadian Centre on Disability Studies
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
- Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal
- Canadian Council on Social Development
- Canadian Disability Studies Association (CDSA/ACEI)
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- Child Welfare Information Gateway
- Child Welfare League of America
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario
- Council of Canadians with Disabilities
- Council on Social Work Education
- Family Violence Initiative - Public Health Agency of Canada
- First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
- Fraser Institute
- Global Affairs Canada - CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency has now merged with this government department
- Home and Community Care Support Services - Erie St. Clair - formerly known as LHIN
- Information for Practice
- Institute for Research on Public Policy
- International Association for Community Development
- International Association for Social Work with Groups
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
- Maytree (includes the Caledon archive for the Caledon Institute of Social Policy)
- Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - United States
- NCCIH - National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) - United States
- New Social Worker
- Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies
- Ontario Association of Social Workers
- Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
- P.O.W.E.R. Surfers - patients online for well-being, education and research
- Social Welfare Policy and Practice
- Urban Institute
- Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women
- Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
- Windsor-Essex Health Gateway
- Women's Health Matters - Canadian site developed by women's health experts at Women's College Hospital in Toronto
- World Health Organization
Connect with your library