HARRIS LIBRARY

The following Pathfinder is intended to step you through the basic library research process for identifying resources relating to the area of Poverty. Its purpose is to help social workers locate information that will better enhance their own knowledge and understanding of the problems of poverty and how social and economic changes affect low-income communities and their residents.

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 poverty are:

Gilbert, G. (2004). World poverty [electronic resource]: A reference handbook . Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. [OhioLINK E-Book]

Hombs, M. E. (2001). American homelessness [computer file]: A reference handbook (3rd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. [OhioLINK E-Book]

Lowe, G. R., & Reid, P. N. (Eds.). (1999). The professionalization of poverty: Social work and the poor in the twentieth century . New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

Patterson, J. T. (2000). America's struggle against poverty in the twentieth century  (New ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Pimpare, S. (2008).  A people's history of poverty in America . New York: New Press: Distributed by W. W. Norton & Co.

Rodgers, H. R. (2006). American poverty in a new era of reform (2nd ed.). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.

Schiller, B. R. (2008). The economics of poverty and discrimination (10th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Spicker, P., Leguizamon, S. A., & Gordon, D. (Eds.). (2007). Poverty: An international glossary (2nd ed.). London; New York: Zed Books; distributed by Palgrave Macmillan. 

Stewart, F., Saith, R., & Harriss-White, B. (Eds.). (2007). Defining poverty in the developing world .  Basingstoke [England]; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

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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 poverty (in alphabetical order):

     Community Development
     Homelessness
     Poor
     Poverty
     Social Problems
     Subsistence economy
     Urban poor
     Welfare state

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. LibStudents.

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 poverty. 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.

     Discrimination
     Low income
     Poor
     Poverty
     Welfare reform

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Search the Library Catalog for: KEYWORD SUBJECT

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. Click here to view a list of selected databases available on the web that are related to social work and the social sciences .

Literature on poverty is found in many disciplines. Some of the databases that will have articles on this topic include:

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health) is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases and the Case Research Databases . It indexes literature relating to nursing, education, behavioral sciences, social services, and health care. Most of the entries included the reference list for the cited article. Coverage is from 1982 forward. This index corresponds to the printed publication Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health. (Last reviewed: November 7, 2005. Last updated: November 8, 2005.

Education Abstracts is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases . The database covers a wide range of contemporary education issues, including government funding, community partnerships, multicultural education and counseling. The database cites articles in over 470 English-language periodicals, monographs, and yearbooks. The full-text of some articles is available. Coverage is from 1983 through present.   Last updated May 10, 2002.

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases and as a free database on the web . Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, it indexes over 750 professional journals, as well as the Resources in Education File which contains documents from a wide variety of organizations. Coverage is from 1966 forward..   Last updated August 22, 2005.

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. (Last reviewed: November 7, 2005. Last updated: November 11, 2005.)

PsycINFO is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases . The database indexes the world's literature in psychology and related disciplines. It covers over 1900 journals as well as books, and individual book chapters. The coverage is from 1967 forward. This index corresponds to the printed publication Psychological Abstracts . PsycINFO Historical is a different database that covers similar information between the years 1887-1966. (Last reviewed: 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 .    (Last reviewied November 7, 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 publicationSociological 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. (Last reviewed: 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 poverty include:

Child Welfare   online at:  E-Journal Portal .  ( Public catalog )

Evaluation and Program Planning   online at: OhioLINK ,  EBSCOhost .  ( Public catalog )

FOCUS (Institute for Research on Poverty)   online at: IRP   ( Public catalog )

Journal of Community Practice   online at: Informaworld .    ( Public catalog )

Journal of Poverty   online at:  Informaworld .    ( Public catalog )

Journal of Social Issues   online at: OhioLINK .   ( Public catalog )

Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare   online at:  E-Journal Portal .  ( Public catalog )

Public Welfare   online at:  E-Journal Portal .  ( Public catalog )

Social Work   online at:  E-Journal Portal .  EBSCOhost Research Databases .   ( Public catalog )

Social Work Abstracts   online at: Case Research Databases [Database name: Social Work Abstracts] ( 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 poverty:

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. Added April 1, 2001; Last updated October 5, 2007. (PovertyCtr)

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)

Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC)
This private, non-profit corporation focuses on federal, state and local programs that address the needs of low-income children and families, particularly in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The site outlines a number of the organization's programs. NOTE: More information on CEOGC and some of its reports are available in the Agency Files of the Harris Library. The organization can be contacted directly for additional data summaries. Last updated April 1, 2001. (CEOGC)

Economic Success Clearinghouse .
(Formerly:  Welfare Information Network)
A section of the Information Resource Center at The Finance Project. The Economic Success Clearinghouse "connects you to resources about effective policies, programs and financing strategies that help low-income and working poor families."--The website.   Listed December 19, 2007. Updated November 20, 2009.(ESC/WIN)

Institute for Research on Poverty
Produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this site focuses on research around the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. The home page provides answers to frequently asked questions about poverty. The Research section focuses on funded projects, including Welfare Reform in Wisconsin. The Poverty Links section connects with external Web resources on poverty issues. Added April 23, 2001; Updated March 17, 2002. (IRP)

Joint Center for Poverty Research
The Northwestern University / University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research supports academic research that examines what it means to be poor in America. JCPR concentrates on the causes and consequences of poverty in America and the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing poverty. Their goal is "to advance what is known about the economic, social and behavioral factors that cause poverty, and to establish the actual effects of interventions designed to alleviate poverty." Last reviewed April 1, 2001. (JCPR)

KIDS COUNT CENSUS
KIDS COUNT CENSUS is an online interface to help the user quickly and easily create, view and print reports. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has compiled indicators of child well-being from the 2000 U.S. Census both short form (Census SFI) and long form (Census SF3). You can gather information from geographic areas, produce summary profiles, generate ranking tables based on measures and type of geographic areas selected, and download raw data that can be tab-delimited text format for importing into most spreadsheets. Added December 27, 2002. (KidsCtCens)

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Management of Social Transformations Programme Clearinghouse (MOST)
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)

National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
The mission of the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is to identify and promote strategies that reduce the incidence of young child poverty in the United States and that improve the life chances of the millions of children under age six who are growing up poor. Last reviewed April 1, 2001. (NCCP)

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. Last reviewed April 1, 2001. (NCH)

National Women's Health Information Center
This center provides a gateway to the vast array of Federal and other women's health information resources. Last reviewed May 18, 2001. (NatWomHea)

NeighborhoodLink
"An Information Resource for the People of Cleveland." This site is the result of cooperative efforts by government, educational, business, and social service sectors in Cleveland. It provides access to information on transportation, employment, health care, neighborhood maps, government and family services. Last reviewed April 1, 2001. (NHlink)

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U.S. Census Bureau Poverty Statistics
This site provides information on the Poverty Thresholds, statistics on poverty in the United States, and other Federal government poverty reports. Last updated May 18, 2001. (USCensusPovStat)

U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates
This site breaks down national poverty estimates by state, county, school district and Puerto Rico. Last reviewed May 18, 2001. (USCensusSAIPE)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This site can be used to obtain current poverty guidelines and measurements, such as the 2002 HHS Poverty Guidelines. Listed April 1, 2001. URL updated January 27, 2003. (USDHHSPoverty)

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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 & Families
This site, part of The Moving Ideas Network, contains articles, reports and other information on the national debate on welfare reform and family issues. Listed April 1, 2001. URL last updated October 19, 2005. (WelfareFam)

Welfare Information Network
SEE:  Economic Success Clearinghouse .
Listed April 23, 2001. Last updated December 19, 2007. (WelfInfo)

The World Bank Group
The mission of this organization is to fight poverty worldwide. The Poverty in Focus section of the site is a rich source of information on global poverty issues, including the full text of the World Development Report. The Topics and Sectors section provides information on subject areas such as AIDS, gender, social development and health & nutrition. Last reviewed April 1, 2001. (WorldBank)

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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 .