Getting started on policy research
To find out which policies are important for certain populations and social problems, get started by reading up on the particular populations.
Search the catalog for books which put the problem and its policies in historical context.
Then once you have identified the important policies search for them specifically in the social work literature and legal literature.
Suggested searches
- Child Welfare Policy
- Domestic Violence Policy
- Community Mental Health
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowOnline access to the weekly publication CQ Researcher provides summaries of current events and policy topics. A great starting place for research.
- CRS reports This link opens in a new windowThis collection provides the public with access to research products produced by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for the United States Congress. By law, CRS works exclusively for Congress, providing timely, objective, and authoritative research and analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of political party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century. - from site
Encyclopedia of Social Work (continuously updated) by The Encyclopedia of Social Work site transforms the classic reference work of the same name into a consistently-updated resource for a lifetime of social service.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowThis resource is made possible through the partnership of the Center for Urban Studies and the University Library System. Use Social Explorer to visualize and interact with data, create maps, charts, reports and downloads that help you reach your goals. Explore hundreds of thousands of built-in data indicators related to demography, economy, health, politics, environment, crime and more. Easily add your own data for further impact.
- Roper iPoll This link opens in a new windowA data source for US public opinion questions and answers from polls on important issues facing the country. Coverage from 1935 to present. The Polling results include academic, commercial and media (news) survey organizations.
- ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new window(formerly Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe)Provides abstracts and indexes of statistical information from over 100,000 U.S. government publications from 1973, state and private sources from 1980, and approximately 2000 documents from international organizations from 1983. Incorporates ASI subject and keyword searching. Full text or web links provided for some citations.
- Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new windowCSA Social Services Abstracts provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,406 serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews.
- Social work abstracts This link opens in a new windowSocial Work Abstracts database contains more than 26,000 records, spanning 1977 to the present, from social work and other related journals on topics such as homelessness, AIDS, child and family welfare, aging, substance abuse, legislation, community organization, and more.
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new windowProQuest Central brings together many of our most used databases to create the most comprehensive, diverse, and relevant multidisciplinary research database available. It provides access to databases across all major subject areas, including business, health and medical, social sciences, arts and humanities, education, science and technology, and religion. The collection includes thousands of full-text scholarly journals, trade and professional titles, newspapers, magazines, dissertations, working papers, case studies, and market reports.
- Legal Source (WSU Affiliates) This link opens in a new windowProviding indexing and full-text coverage of the most respected scholarly law journals, Legal Source is the authoritative database for current issues, studies, thoughts and trends of the legal world. It is an excellent resource for attorneys, educators, business people, law librarians, students, paralegals and others involved with the law.