Research and Course Guides: SW 470: Social Research & Evaluation (Salgado): Sample Articles and Program Evaluations

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Journals for Social Work

Article Databases

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Access thousands of full-text journals covering information spanning a broad range of important areas of academic study including: anthropology, biology, chemistry, engineering, law, mathematics, multicultural studies, music, physics, psychology, women's studies and many other fields.
AVON This link opens in a new window
This video streaming service delivers more than 66,000 documentaries and films spanning a wide range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.
Center For Positive Sexuality This link opens in a new window
Open access journals with a focus on sexuality and gender
Child Development and Adolescent Studies This link opens in a new window
Source for current and historical literature related to growth and development of children through the age of 21, including child rights and welfare issues.
EBSCO eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Offers access to a multidisciplinary library of over 136,000 high quality, unlimited user ebooks from over 450 publishers. Collections include both academic and recreational ebooks.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A large digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources covering more than 50 disciplines primarily in the Arts & Sciences, Life Sciences, and Business. Coverage begins at the first issue of the journal and extends up to a publication date usually set in the past three to five years.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Covering more than 160 subjects areas, this database includes scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.
ProQuest One Academic This link opens in a new window
Combines ProQuest Central, Academic Complete, Academic Video Online, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global in one searchable location. This collection includes journals, ebooks, dissertations, news, video, and primary sources.
SAGE Reference & Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
Searchable access to over 70 electronic social science encylopedias.
Social Science Journals This link opens in a new window
A sub-database of ProQuest Central; offers indexing and full text for hundreds of academic journals, providing coverage across a wide range of social science disciplines including anthropology, criminology, economics, education, political science, psychology, social work and sociology.
Sociology Database This link opens in a new window
A sub-database of ProQuest Central, this database covers the international literature of sociology and social work, including social policy, social services, anthropology, gender studies, gerontology, and population studies.
SocIndex with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides information encompassing the broad spectrum of sociological study including all sub-disciplines and closely related areas of study.

Sample Articles and Program Evaluations

Database Search Tips

Use Boolean Logic (AND, OR, NOT) to combine search concepts.

TOO FEW hits: OR to add synonyms; individual key words, NOT whole phrases; drop concept(s) with AND; truncate; consider other databases.

TOO MANY hits: AND another concept into search; use other available limiters in the database.

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A wildcard (?, *) is a character that may be used in a search term to represent one or more other characters.

Do an advanced search and take advantage of the fields provided.

Use the subject headings/descriptors to find additional citations on your topic. If that does not work, use the keyword search.

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Set up an auto alert/RSS feed to monitor the research.

Evaluating Journals

CHARACTERISTICS	SCHOLARLY/PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS	GENERAL MAGAZINES
How to tell the difference between these two types of periodicals:
Content	Reports on original research; in-depth analysis of topics; statistical information; academic level book reviews; refereed or peer-reviewed	Current events and news; hot topics; brief, factual information; interviews
Length	Longer articles providing in-depth analysis of topics	Shorter articles providing broader overviews of topics
Authorship	Author usually an expert or specialist in the field; name and credentials always provided - researchers, academics, professors, scholars	Author usually a staff writer or a journalist; name and credentials often not provided
Language	Academic level writing & vocabulary; specialized language of the discipline; can be highly technical	Non-technical vocabulary; often simple language
Format/Structure	Articles usually more structured; may include these sections: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography	Articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure
Editors	Editors/reviewers are experts in the same field as author(s); many participate in peer-review process prior to publication; rigorous publication standards; articles checked for content, format and style	Editors not academic experts in subject field of article; article topics often assigned or contracted; articles usually only edited for style and format
Publishers	Professional organizations; Universities, research institutes and scholarly presses	Commercial/trade publishers; corporate ownership
Special Features	Illustrations that support the text, such as tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or photographs	Illustrations with glossy or color photographs, usually for advertising purposes
Credits	A bibliography (works cited) and/or footnotes are always provided to document research thoroughly	A bibliography (works cited) is usually not provided; names of reports or references may be mentioned in the text; sources, when used, are rarely cited in full