LibGuides: SWK 101: Introduction to Social Work

Tools to Help Distinguish Between Scholarly & Popular Sources

Anatomy of a Resarch Article
Distinguishing Source Types
Learn criteria for differentiating between common source types.
CRAAP Test
Handout describing how to evaluate information using a method known as the CRAAP test.

Resources--Is It Scholarly, Popular, or Something Else?

Urban Affairs Librarian

Susie Skarl, Urban Affairs Librarian

Email Me

Contact:

UNLV Libraries
Lied Library
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Box 457014
Las Vegas, NV 89154-7014
susie.skarl@unlv.edu

702-895-2141

Subjects: Communication Studies, Couple & Family Therapy, Criminal Justice, Crisis & Emergency Management, Government Information, Journalism & Media Studies, Public Administration, Social Work, Urban Studies

Using Quick Search

UNLV Libraries Quick Search
You can limit to scholarly/peer reviewed journals on Quick Search & also limit to the Social Work discipline.

When to Use Quick Search:

you are first starting your research
to get ideas or background info you have had difficulty finding sources in other databases you need
an alternative to Google - easy searching but with more credible/reliable results

On the left sidebar, you can "Refine Your Search" a number of different ways--including by publication date & scholarly/peer reviewed sources.

Finding Scholarly Articles in Social Work-Related Databases

SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1895-
Indexes the literature of sociology and related disciplines.
Includes full text for selected journals, monographs, and conference papers and contains full text for over 325 journals dating back to 1895. Encompasses all subdisciplines of sociology, including abortion, anthropology, criminology, criminal justice, marriage & family, politics, religion, rural sociology, social psychology, social structure, social work, sociological theory, sociology of education, substance abuse, urban studies, and many others.
AgeLine This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1978-
Abstracts on social gerontology. Also includes health care, public policy, employment, and consumer issues.
Produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), this database includes citations with abstracts drawn from the literature in social gerontology -- the study of aging in social, psychological, health-related, and economic contexts. Health care, public policy, employment and consumer issues are particularly well-covered.
Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1950s-
Abstracts of current research in social work, human services, social policy, and community development.
Social Services Abstracts identify and summarize current research in social work, human services, social policy, and community development.
Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
1977-
Access limited to 4 simultaneous users
Journal articles about all areas of social work from professional journals.
Update frequency: semi-annually
From the National Association of Social Workers, this database provides access to professional journal articles about social work from all areas of the profession.
LGBTQ+ Source This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides an index to the world's literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, as well as full text for 55 of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as more than 100 full-text monographs/books.
Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Searchable articles from academic and professional journals and magazines covering every academic discipline.
Update frequency: Updated daily
This excellent one-stop resource lets you search citations and summaries by keyword and then instantly retrieve the full text of articles from journals online. The Get Text button helps you locate any article without linked full text in alternate online sources or in UNLV's print journal collection.

Citing Your Sources

Log Into "New" RefWorks

You can create a new account using your UNLV e-mail at the link above.

What is RefWorks?

RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic software package that enables you to:

Organize your research
Create a bibliography in a variety of citation styles, including APA, MLA and Chicago
Import references from many data sources
Create bibliographies in different document formats (Word, RTF, HTML, etc.)
Include citations while you write your paper

Other Citation Generators:

BibMe - Quick and convenient! Enter a title of a book or journal article and it autocompletes and formats the citation. Free - create a login to save bibliographies.
StyleWizard - The APA Wizard takes you through a step-by-step citation creation process.
Son of Citation Machine - Select type of resource then fill out a form to create MLA, APA, Chicago style citations.

SWK 101: Introduction to Social Work