The following Pathfinder is intended to step you through the basic library research process for
identifying resources relating to the the area of
Social Policy. Its purpose is to help social workers locate information that will
better enhance their own knowledge and understanding of how policy issues influence social work
practice. Policy issues cover numerous topics that may effect local, federal, or international
laws. Examples of general topics include: welfare, social policy, population policy, economic
policy, health policy, urban policy, etc.
Consult the
Steps to Research and Writing
a Paper for more detailed information.
References to book and journal titles and their call numbers and locations are specific to items
owned by the MSASS Harris Library and Case Western Reserve University libraries (although in most
cases the resources can be found in other academic and public libraries). The websites that are
included at the end of the Pathfinder are intended as a starting point for research on the Internet
and are not meant to be inclusive.
1. Start by locating resources that provide an overview of your topic.
This will help you define terms in that discipline and provide background information in your
subject area.
Encyclopedias
,
handbooks
and
subject specific dictionaries
offer good places to start.
Some titles specifically related to policy are:
Blau, J., & Abramovitz, M. (2007).
The dynamics of social welfare
policy (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (1965 - 2007).
Congress
and the nation: A review of government and politics in the postwar years (Vols. 1-11 &
Index). Washington, DC: Author.
Day, P. J. (2006).
A new history of social welfare (5th
ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Karger, H. J., Midgley, J., & Brown, C. B. (Eds.). (2007).
Controversial issues in social
policy (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
Karger, H. J., Stoesz, D., & Kindle, P. A. (2008).
American social welfare policy : A
pluralist approach (5th updated ed. With Research Navigator). Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon.
***
New***
Midgley, J., & Livermore, M. (Eds.). (2009).
The handbook of social policy (2nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Moniz, C., & Gorin, S. (2003).
Health and health care policy: A
social work perspective. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Shafritz, J. M. (Editor-in-chief). (1998).
International
encyclopedia of public policy and administration (Vols. 1-4). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Weiner, R. R. (2005).
Lake effects: A history of urban
policy making in Cleveland, 1825-1929. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press.
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2. Search the online catalog for additional books that will give you the history, context,
definitions and theories.
Define the terms that you want to use when you are doing a search for materials. If you do a
subject search in the online catalog, the system limits you to using predefined Library of Congress
Subject Headings.
Click here for
more information on doing a subject search.
Some subject headings for policy (in alphabetical order):
Adoption
Child welfare
Domestic relations
Economic policy
Family policy
Housing policy
Medical policy
Population policy
Public policy
Public welfare
Social policy
Urban policy
Doing a keyword search will give you many more titles than a subject search and may help you
focus the results. When you do a keyword search the system looks in the title, subject and table of
contents fields.
Click here for more
information on doing a keyword search.
To do effective keyword searching, you will need to think of
concepts and terms related to
your topic. Consulting a thesaurus will help you find synonyms for concepts.
Click here for a list of
thesauri owned by the Harris Library.
In addition to the subject headings above, here are some general terms (in alphabetical order)
to use when searching for information on policy. When you narrow your search you will make an
additional list specific to your topic.
NOTE: Using a system's truncating symbol (in this example, the asterisk "*") at
the end of the root word will provide you with records using variations of that word.
Accountability
Advocacy
Federal policy
Legislative policy
Multiculturalism
Policy analysis
Policy implementation
Poverty
Social justice
Social welfare
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You can do a key word search from this pathfinder.
Enter your search terms just as you would from the keyword search menu in the online catalog
and then click on "search."
3. Find some general articles on your topic.
After you have located books on your topic, you will want to look for general journal articles
in your subject area. Case and OhioLINK offer several general databases. These include: Expanded
Academic ASAP, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, Periodical Abstracts, SIRS Researcher, and Social
Sciences Index. These databases provide a mix of popular magazine articles and scholarly research
articles. You can get to these databases by choosing the Research Databases option in the
Library Catalog.
Note:
Access is limited to authorized users.
TIP: When you search in general databases, you will sometimes retrieve citations
to book reviews related to your topic. These book reviews may be helpful in leading you to book
titles and/or authors in your area of interest.
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4. Search subject specific databases for more scholarly journal articles.
Once you have assembled general journal articles on your topic, you can begin focusing on
scholarly research articles. Citations, abstracts and, sometimes, the full-text of journal articles
are found in a variety of databases available through Case Western Reserve University and OhioLINK
to
authorized users.
Case and OhioLINK databases are available by clicking on
Research Databases in the
Library Catalog.
The World Wide Web also makes available a range of databases. Some of these require a
subscription fee to be paid; others are free. LibStudents.
Literature on policy is found in many disciplines. Some of the databases that will have articles
on this topic include:
Ethnic Newswatch
is available electronically through the
Case Research Databases list and
through the
Library Catalog. It indexes and provides the full-text of
over 260 leading periodicals and newspapers published by the ethnic and minority press in the
Americas. The database has search options in both English or Spanish with over 1 million articles
(over 200,000 in Spanish). Coverage is from 1990 forward. [Listed November 4, 2005. Last updated
November 11, 2005.]
Family & Society Studies Worldwide (1970-present) is available electronically
through the
Case Research Databases. It is a core
resource on family and gender related topics. It covers over 800,000 records drawn from journals,
books, conference and working papers government reports, and websites in the social science
disciplines. Citations from the
Inventory of Marriage & Family Literature and the
Australian Family & Society Abstracts are included. [Listed November 7, 2005.
Last updated: November 11, 2005.]
Historical Abstracts
is available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. This database selectively
indexes articles from over 2100 journals published in 50 languages. It includes some books and
dissertations. It covers all areas of world history: political, diplomatic, military, economic,
social, cultural, religious and intellectual. This database corresponds to the printed publication
of the same name. Coverage is from 1955 to present. [Listed January 18, 2002. Last updated July 15,
2003.]
LexisNexis Academic Universe
is available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. It provides current
information by allowing access to domestic and international newspapers, trade journals and
newsletters, and magazine articles. Full-text is available. Searches can be done by region or state
by choosing the U.S. News category. The database also provides current articles related to the
business, legal and medical fields. [Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
LexisNexis Congressional Universe
is available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. It offers access to a
variety of information by and about the United States Congress provided by Congressional
Information Service, Inc. The database allows users to search an index of congressional
publications from 1970 to the present; retrieve CIS Legislative Histories for public laws going
back to 1970; find testimony from congressional hearings; track bills as they move through the
House and Senate. Search the
Congressional Record and
Federal Register. [Listed January 18, 2002.]
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) International
is available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. The subject categories
include the areas of public policy, social policy and the social sciences. It includes citations
for books as well as journal articles and covers a wide range of planning and public administration
journals and books, including government publications. The coverage is from 1972 to the present.
[Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
Social Sciences Citation Index
is a database available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. It is a multidisciplinary
index to the world of social sciences, and indexes over 1400 journals in fifty disciplines. The
database allows cited reference searching (searching by cited work) as well as traditional search
methods. Abstracts are not included. Current and retrospective coverage is from 1956 forward.
[Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
Social Work Abstracts is available electronically through the
Case Research Databases list. It
contains more than 45,000 records from 1700 social work related journals. Topics covered include
service delivery, social work practice, homelessness, aging, child and family welfare, community
organization, and substance abuse. The coverage is from 1977 to the present. This database
corresponds with the printed publication
Social Work Abstracts
. [Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
SocINDEX is available electronically through the
Case Research Databases and the
OhioLINK Research
Databases. SocINDEX includes citations, abstracts, and some full-text for all subdisciplines of
sociology. SocINDEX provides data mined from more than 500 "priority" coverage journals as well as
1,040 "selective" coverage journals. It also includes indexing of books, reports, and some other
formats. Also included is a useful sociology specific thesaurus for subject term searching. It
replaces
Sociological Abstracts in the OhioLINK database. [Listed: September 28,
2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
Sociological Abstracts is a database available electronically through the
OhioLINK Research Databases. It indexes 2600 journals in
sociology and related disciplines from over 55 countries. It also contains citations to many
relevant dissertations and conference proceedings. Sociological Abstracts is an excellent source
for information related to general community practice issues. The coverage is from 1963 through
June 2005. This index corresponds to the formerly printed publication
Sociological Abstracts. OhioLINK stopped subscribing to updates from this database
effective June 2005, as a result nothing after that date will be present in the database. Check
SocINDEX for current information. [Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]
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CAUTION: The setup will vary for different databases. In many databases if you
type in a phrase the system will look for the exact phrase. It does not add an "
and" between words. So if you type "urban poverty homeless" you will get zero
results because it will look for those words in that exact order. It is often clearer to enter one
term at a time and combine the end results.
TIP: Look in the descriptor field and/or use the online thesaurus to lead you to
additional terms.
NOTE: Online databases are distributed nationally and are not specific to Case
Western Reserve University. The University will not own all the journals that are cited in the
databases.
Click here for
information on finding journal titles in the online catalog.
5. Browse current issues of journals that contain literature on your topic.
Click here for a list of journals to which the MSASS Harris Library subscribes.
Journals that are most likely to contain information on the topic of policy include:
Administration in Social Work online at:
Haworth,
EBSCOhost. (Public catalog.)
Journal of Aging & Social Policy online at:
Haworth. (Public catalog)
Journal of Disability Policy Studies online at:
EBSCOhost. (Public catalog)
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services online at:
Haworth. (Public
catalog)
Journal of Policy Practice (Formerly: Social Policy
Journal.) online at:
Haworth. (Public catalog)
Journal of Social Issues online at:
OhioLINK.
(Public catalog)
Social Forces online at:
JSTOR,
OhioLINK.
(Public catalog)
Social Policy (Public catalog)
Social Policy & Administration online at:
OhioLINK, EBSCOhost. (Public catalog)
Social Policy Journal (Ceased) online at:
Haworth. (Public catalog)
Additional journals that cover general topics in Sociology and social studies are available in
the
Electronic
Journal Center.
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6. Do a web search on the Internet for additional information.
Information located through the Internet can provide supplemental material to scholarly research
articles. Material retrieved from websites should always be
evaluated for
currency, authorship, bias and accuracy.
Following are selected websites that might be helpful when looking for information on policy:
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
Information on this site includes resources relating to caregiving, Medicare, nursing homes,
and research on aging, as well as AARP's legislative and policy efforts. Under topic area
Policy and Research is the
Research Center called
AgeSource Worldwide
where you will find links to
Internet Resources on Aging
and
AgeLine Database
. The
Internet Resources on Aging
has "over 500 of the best sites on the Web for older adults." The list is
searchable by topic or browse the topics or an alphabetical list. The
AgeLine Database
covers books and more than 300 journals and is fully searchable with multiple options. A copy
of the
Thesaurus of Aging Terminology
covering the subject terms used is available in the Harris Library. The site also provides
links to services that are available to its large membership base. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last
updated October 24, 2003.] (AARP)
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
AEI is a conservative think tank engaged in research in the areas of economics and trade,
social welfare, U.S. politics, international affairs and defense policies. The site provides access
to its publication,
The American Enterprise. [Listed April 1, 2001.] (AEI)
American Public Human Services Association
The mission of APHSA is to "develop, promote and implement public human service policies that
improve the health and well-being of families, children and adults." This site provides
information on key health and human services issues and policies under the
Policy and
News Room menu headings. It also includes
Links to a large number of umbrella organizations. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last
updated April 16, 2003.] (APHSA)
Background Notes
The U.S. Department of State publishes
Background Notes on approximately 170 countries worldwide. These are brief, factual online
pamphlets with information on each country's culture, history, geography, economy, government and
current political situation. Some
print copies are also
available for in-library use in the Government Documents Dept. of Kelvin Smith Library. [Listed
December 27, 2002.] (BackGNote)
Brookings Institution
Search for press releases, research summaries, articles, policy updates and policy briefs on
foreign policy, economic issues and governmental studies. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated May
2, 2003.] (Brookings)
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research foundation headquartered in
Washington, D.C. The Institute has a libertarian bias and (according to its Web site) encourages
policies and opinions "consistent with traditional American principles of limited government,
individual liberty and peace." The site provides links to its reports and recommendations in a
variety of national and international public policy issues. [Listed April 1, 2001.
Last updated March 17, 2002.] (Cato)
Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development
The Center, which is affiliated with the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case
Western Reserve University, seeks to address the problems of persistent and concentrated urban
poverty. It is dedicated to understanding how social and economic changes affect low-income
communities and their residents. The Center maintains the Cleveland Area Network on Data
and Organizing (CANDO) - a database of statistics on income levels, education, vital statistics,
crime, and housing in Cleveland neighborhoods. The full-text of some publications is available
online. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated October 5, 2007.] (PovertyCtr)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
The CMS (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration) is the federal agency that
administers Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This site
provides information on statistics, laws, eligibility requirements, and research related to these
three programs. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated December 29, 2003.] (CMS)
The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN)
CHN promotes adequate funding for human needs programs, progressive tax policies and other
federal measures that address the needs of low income and other vulnerable populations. CHN tracks
many human needs issues at the federal level and provides members and general public with federal
analyses, news reports, and Congressional updates. This is an easy web site to navigate and
resources are current. [Listed January 26, 2004.] (CHN)
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Guide to Careers in Child and Family Policy
NOTE: This site is not available at this time as it "is currently being updated.
Please check back for availability."---as of April 15, 2008.
This site covers career opportunities in child and family policy. At the same time
it serves to identify organizations in child and family policy that can serve as "information
resources" in their own right. (Entry originally contributed by Professor Aloen Townsend.) [Listed
July 11, 2002. Last updated April 15, 2008.] (GCFP)
Heritage Foundation
According to their Web site the Foundation's mission is "to formulate and promote
conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government,
individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense." The site includes
commentaries and working papers on a variety of issues. [Listed April 1, 2001.] (Heritage)
HUD User
Produced by the Office of Policy Development and Research of the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, this site offers a
Bibliographic Database that provides access to abstracts of over 10,000 reports,
books and articles on housing and community development issues. The full text of the annual
State of the Cities report is also available on the site, along with a related data system
focusing on 114 selected U.S. cities. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated July 18, 2003.] (HUD)
Influencing State Policy
The goal of this site is to assist social work faculty and students in their understanding of
the formation, implementation and evaluation of state-level policy and legislation. Features of the
site include links to other resources in areas such as welfare reform, federal government, and
general policy issues. Sample assignments and student projects are also part of the site. Click on
the flag to go to your state to see what new policies or programs are developing as well as the
latest, "breaking" news. [Listed April 1, 2001; Last updated April 2, 2002.] (StatePolicyOrg)
Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
A think tank that (according to its mission statement) "develops and disseminates new ideas
that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility." The site points to editorials
from other newspapers on policy issues and includes a summary of its own projects in areas such as
education reform, welfare reform, crime reduction and faith-based initiatives. [Listed April 1,
2001.] (Manhattan)
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC)
This nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy research organization distributes working papers
and findings relating to policies and programs for low-income people. The full text of most reports
is available on the site (Acrobat Reader required). [Listed April 1, 2001.] (MDRC)
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MOST (Management of Social Transformations Programme) Clearing House
MOST is a research programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO). Its objective is to establish links between researchers and policy makers in
the area of social science research. The Clearinghouse offers up-to-date information on the
projects, publications and activities of the MOST Programme. It features
Best Practices in the fields of poverty eradication, social exclusion, and
indigenous knowledge. The site has a global focus. [Listed April 23, 2001. Last updated
October 19, 2005.] (MOST)
Moving Ideas Network
Moving Ideas Network (MIN), formerly the Electronic Policy Network, explains complex policy
ideas to a broader audience such as journalists, activists, students and citizens. MIN is a
consortium of over 100 progressive public policy organizations and advocacy groups and its site is
an excellent place to begin poliy-related research on the web.
Spotlight and
In The Fight are current awareness sections that keep members up to date on the
latest issues concerning policy. Some member organizations include:
[Listed as EPN April 23, 2001. Name changed Jan. 2003. Last updated April 15, 2003.]
(MIN)
National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH)
The NCH is a national advocacy network of homeless persons, activists, and others committed
to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizations. Its
site provides information on
Legislation and Policy including advocacy efforts, existing and pending laws, and
government committees with jurisdiction over homeless and housing programs.
Facts About Homelessness includes fact sheets on various aspects of homelessness.
Each sheet summarizes facts and issues and contains a list of recommended reading for further
research. Other links from the home page lead to
Internet Resources and descriptions of
NCH Projects and programs. [Listed April 1, 2001.] (NCH)
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization dedicated to
serving the lawmakers and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. The
site provides links to all of the state legislatures. Its
Policy Issues section leads you to major topics (such as Human Services,
Education, Health, Juvenile Justice) that are then subdivided into specific issues. [Listed April
1, 2001.] (NCSL)
National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness
This organization's site provides
Annotated Bibliographies on over thirty topics, a link to its
Publications (some of which are available online), two
Referral Lists of national organizations focusing on issues of housing, mental
health and homelessness, and an extensive annotated list of
Links. It also provides information on federal research projects in the area of
homelessness and mental illness. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated May 11, 2004.] (NRC)
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
"The National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) is a social justice organization that advocates
for and with youth people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) in an
effort to end discrimination against these youth and to ensure their physical and emotional well
being... We are committed to addressing the connections between race, gender, class, and sexual
orientation; and to bridging the gap that exists between adult LGBTQ civil rights organizations and
the mainstream youth movement." Under
Learn about legislation there are links to
Current Legislation (summaries and status information about key bills); search for
Key Votes (the congressional roll call votes); and tips on how to
Communicate with Elected Officials. Click on
Youth Connections where you will find links to both programs and nationwide
resources. [Listed December 27, 2002. Last updated July 21, 2003.] (NYAC)
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Ohio Revised Code
This searchable version of the
Ohio Revised Code is provided by Lawriter, LLC. It is organized in a book-like
interface that includes a table of contents and lists individual sections of text. It
includes all bills passed, filed, and with an effective date through January 1, 2008.
Also included is the
Ohio Administrative Code
which includes all bills filed by or with an effective date of
March 1, 2008. [Listed August 22, 2005. Last updated April 11,
2008.] (OhioRevCode)
Policy.com (Policy News and Information Service)
This section of the SpeakOut.com Web site provides public policy resources on dozens of
issues including education, technology and healthcare. Policy.com is non-partisan and free to
users. Policy.com enjoys active participation by leading think tanks, advocacy groups, businesses,
policy analysts, professors and other policy organizations. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated
January 21, 2003.] (Policy)
Public Agenda
Public Agenda (PA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen
education organization. PA has addressed a wide range of issues through its research and citizen
education work, including school and health care reform, national security, AIDS, crime, economic
competitiveness and the environment. This site is easy to use. The user can search a variety of
"hot" issues and obtain background information to understand an issue, along with detailed public
opinion information. Interviews, surveys, charts, quizzes are just a few ways that the information
is presented on this site. [Listed January 31, 2002. Last updated February 5, 2002.] (PubAgen)
RAND
RAND's mission is to "improve policy and decision making through research and analysis." The
Research Areas section of the site offers information on the organization's
research efforts in such areas as child policy, social welfare, education, health, international
policy and more. You can find PDF copies of many RAND reports by going to
Publications and then
Browsing by Topic. [Listed April 23, 2001.] (RAND)
Social Security Administration
This site provides extensive information on social security benefits, regulations and
programs. Excellent information on the history of social security and policy-related aspects of the
progam can be found in the
Resources section under
History, Research & Data. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated January 20,
2004.] (SSA)
The Urban Institute
The Institute gathers data, analyzes policies, evaluates programs, and informs community
development to improve social, civic, and economic well-being. Involved in all 50 states and
abroad in more than 28 countries, the organization shares research findings with policymakers,
program administrators, businesses, academics, and the public online and through reports and
scholarly books. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated July 10, 2007.] (Urban)
Welfare Information Network (WIN)
This site is a clearinghouse for information and policy analysis on welfare reform. WIN is
updated two to three times per week, and includes information on
Promising Practices at the state and local level, and program and management
related resources. Resources in the
Hot Topics section (including reports and publications) remain there for only four
weeks. [Listed April 23, 2001. Last updated January 27, 2003.] (WelfInfo)
Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
WROC is made up of families who currently receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF). WROC organizes groups of women and men to watch how welfare policy is implemented at their
local welfare office and how it is made at the legislature level. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last
updated January 21, 2003.] (WROC)
Yahoo!
In the search area type in the word "policy" and follow the screens. [Listed April 1, 2001.]
(Yahoo)
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7. Evaluate the information you have collected from books and articles.
Consult the bibliographies of the books and articles you have selected. This will lead you to
additional references and authors to investigate. Make notes of the gaps in your literature so that
you can use this information when you do additional searches.
Click here for more
information on evaluating the information you have collected.
