Research in Social Work at the Baron Forness Library

Jack WidnerLiaison for Social WorkEdinboro University of PA814-732-2175widner@edinboro.edu

The library component of research can be done virtually anywhere, with the right device and wifi/internet connection, 24/7

• Know your username & password! Your Edinboro email and password is the same for connecting to library services.

The basis for scholarly material is in research databases, NOT free on the Internet• The Library’s web page is the starting point for access to these materials• Login is required for access to databases• Sophisticated search techniques can focus more quickly on appropriate topics

For assistance and help:1)Library Liaison contact info:

a) Jack Widner: phone: 732-2175 | email: widner@edinboro.edu b) Reference Desk in the Library: 732-2253 | email:

refdesk@edinboro.edu | c) Circulation Desk: book renewals, Books direct, open hours: 732-2273

Relevant Web pages1)The Library’s home page: http://www.edinboro.edu/departments/library/2)Liaison for Social Work Helpguide:

http://libguides.edinboro.edu/content.php?pid=241163)Interlibrary Loan homepage:

http://www.edinboro.edu/departments/library/services/Interlibrary_Loan.dot

Beginning the research process You might want to review some help at the page: http://www.edinboro.edu/departments/library/help/Research_Process.dotBut how does one start? It begins with an idea, something of interest, something that you feel is worthy of further investigation. And something that you will put in your own words your ideas, your description, your recommendations.

What is “Social Work Research”?

• From the 2008 Encyclopedia of Social Work:• “Social Work research is the use of social research methods for developing,

producing, and disseminating knowledge that is pertinent to policies and practices that affect and/or are implemented by social work organizations, practitioners, and educators. It aims to describe and explain phenomena relevant to social work.” (Tripodi & Potocky-Tripodi (2007) quoted in Encyclopedia of Social work (2008) p. 512

• Ruben & Babbie (2005): “[unlike traditional academic researchers], social work researchers…aim not to produce knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but to provide the practical knowledge that social workers need to solve everyday practice problems. Ultimately they aim to give the field the information it needs to alleviate human suffering and promote social welfare.” ESW (2008) p.512-13

So, what do I do to become a research-oriented student?

1)What is research? The process of discovering information relevant to formulating an idea…in support of, or against, an idea.

• All research forms the basis of the past, present and future knowledge

• Research informs decision-making• In Social Work, decision-making has come to rely on best

practices• And best practices are evidence-based

The library’s role in all this is to provide you with the tools to accomplish this search. We also help you to understand how to use the tools. And we help you obtain the materials necessary that derive from your search.

a) Getting in the habit of reading professional literature, or literature related to the field, will keep you abreast of developments, practices, ideas, etc. Subscribe to a Social Work journal. You might search your textbook. Search the NASW website http://www.socialworkers.org/ for ideas from the professional society in the field. Some of the databases available to you, such as CQ Researcher, have stories analysing policy or other issues related to social work. Websites such as policy.org and others can also be mined for ideas.

b) Once you have an idea in mind, you can test it by reviewing websites of professional organisations, databases of relevance, speak with your instructors, and so on; look for the amount and kind of information necessary to meet the requirements that might be imposed on you, and also to obtain a depth of understanding prior to putting in your own words your comprehension of the topic.

So now you have a grasp on what research is….

You’ve read about the library as a resource for locating research materials

But what am I looking for?

Understand:• Acquiring the language of the discipline• A reading habit of the literature to become more familiar with the above• An appreciation of the purposes of various research publications, e.g., books, journal

articles, web sites, videos, etc.• How the library makes these available to you• The limits of accessibility

Let the Research Guide Your Topic

Instead of asking in what kind of publication information is located, use all the resources available to you to discover what is useful

1) Learn how to detect bias. Bias is not inherently a bad thing; but understand how factors can lead someone to make a conclusion others will not.2) How reliable is the author, or the publisher? Journal articles have a peer-review process prior to publication. But what about books, or reports? What can you learn about the publisher that will help you assess critically the information as presented?3) What other factors will help you assess authority? Gender? Longevity of publication? Frequency the author or publication has been cited elsewhere?4) Particularly important are the recommendations made for solving practice problems. This is why “evidence-based” has become so important! Find out as much as you can about a recommendation and whether others recommend it too.

“Practical knowledge..[needed]..to solve everyday practice problems.” Evidence-based solutions to practice solutions. It’s not in one place but in many.

Start with an idea

…..and talk to your instructor about it! Your instructor will help you to think how to narrow down your idea!

Narrow down

….how can you limit the scope of your research to focus on specific targets to gather data and interpret that data to make a recommendation?

“I want to help old people get the care they need.”

….Look for the concepts in that sentence: “old people” and “care” immediately jump out.

Make a list of terms that describe “old people”

….senior citizens; elderly; aged; octogenarians; etc.

Care…what kind of care?: medical care? Hospitalization? Medications? Hospice? Nursing home?

And even more questions: specific “old people”? Gender, race, nationality. A specific place in the country or world?

So what does the library have to offer?• The PILOT catalog searches books, videos, etc., materials housed

within the library. On the library’s homepage, it’s under FIND BOOKS.• Online databases search the journal literature (and sometimes book

chapters) of the field. These databases index FAR MORE than what the library houses. We offer borrowing services for books and journal articles when it’s not available to you from us.

• We have research help in the form of librarians, printed materials, online guides, etc.

• We have IM via AOL, email, and phone• We have research guides and other help online.• If you don’t see it, just ask!

Where do you want this information to be?

A book?

A book represents the sum of knowledge on a topic; or it can be as very narrow discussion. It can be descriptive. It can be both descriptive AND prescriptive. One thing a book does well is summarize the research that has been done in the field, and expound upon that research in a length far longer than a research article.

An article?

An article’s focus is much sharper; it may be descriptive or proscriptive. An article is much shorter and much more focused on a single aspect of a subject. Articles can also be published more frequently than books.

A report?

The report is usually a product of a group of authors working for an agency, a think tank, an organization, or even a conference. Since it is not “peer-edited” it may advocate a position taken by its source, support a policy statement, or offer conclusions reflecting the wishes of its sponsor. A government report would usually mean less bias in its conclusions. Reports are increasingly using the Web as its only means of publication.

I want a book• PILOT: the first place to look. Go to the library’s homepage, and click on “Find

Books.” It will immediately launch the PILOT interface.• Search with a keyword, or author’s last name or first significant word in the title

if you know it.

I want a bookBy subject? Subject terms are specific language: broadly speaking, social work is “social service.” Subject headings are tricky; I suggest you use the “guided search” and input “social work” and set the dropdown to “as a phrase” then change “search in” to “subject.” In the next box input a word or phrase that describes what you are looking for. Variations will increase results if you set it to “any of these.” For Social work with Families, use the phrase social work in one box as a subject, then put family families in the second box and change to “any of these.”

I want a book

Sort your results by choosing “Publishing date descending” to see the latest publications.Remember: don’t stop with one word. There are multiple terms that can describe something, and each word or phrase can change results. Spelling is important; the interface won’t correct you.

Perhaps we do not have the book you want, or a book on the subject• EZBorrow: Title/author search of major PA libraries and beyond; request

these books and pick them up in the library• For both, remember to login using your 8-digit student number

Books Direct

We can mail books to students who are registered for online courses.; you must live at least 30 miles from Edinboro to qualify. We can mail books to students who are taking classes at Porreco or Meadville, but we mail them to your home, not to those campuses.

We will mail them at our expense, and you will return them at your expense.

See the information on how to use Books Direct by following the link!

Requests for articles are always handled by Interlibrary Loan. We will post articles on a web page for your pickup.

AND BEYOND

Unless you are willing to buy books, then use your library’s interlibrary loan service to have them order for you, and you pick them up. Search worldcat.org for many more titles, and after identifying one or more, use the ILL form to request the material.

We now have a number of Social Work titles in ebook format. Search PILOT in the guided search with the phrase “Oxford Scholarship Online” and choose “series” as the field to search.

I want an article

There is a scholarly difference between an article published in a journal related to social work and a magazine which may cover an event that relates to social work. As a major in Social Work, you need to consider what those journals are publishing. In these journals lie the “evidence-based” solutions suggested by experts and practitioners; in these journals the data collected or problems described or policy impact studies are published. You can use magazines or newspapers as jumping off points, springboards to finding a problem or solution. But journals discuss the wider implications of these within the field of social work. Journals are variously described as peer-reviewed, academic, scholarly, and so on.

Consider the approach taken by the following two publications concerning domestic violence:Newspaper: Domestic violence victims have options; Women's shelter doubles its capacity (New Orleans Times-Picayune 10/02/08). This reports factual, immediate information. Implications are provided for the community at large.

From Lexis Nexis:

Journal: Domestic Violence Training Policies: Influence on Participation in Training and Awareness of Abuse. Affilia: Journal of Women & Social WorkNote: the authors’ affiliations, note the journal information, and note the abstract. Implications for practice are provided…as a professional journal, this article is seeking to contribute to the field of study as well as practical uses.

How do I get articles?

• The copyright law of the United States is applicable to all articles you retrieve. The copyright is held either by the publisher or the writer. Database publishers and libraries are, in most cases, granted permission to copy or reproduce but are subject to conditions.

• When you access an article from a database, it is because the database publisher has been granted permission. If the publisher does not grant permission, the online database cannot reproduce it.

• Libraries have greater leeway from publishers; if you don’t find it in the database, ask the library to get it via their interlibrary loan service.

• Our Find Journals service can tell you what journals we have from electronic access, as well as our printed journal collection.

Summarizing resource availability

Look for books: in-depth discussion, broad or specific range of topics etc.• PILOT catalog: library holdings including ebooks. Books Direct service mails books outside 30mi range

• EZBorrow: 8 digit number login, books requested must be picked up at library

• Interlibrary Loan: Book is picked up at library

Look for Articles: often very focused research or literature surveys, currency, text availability depends on publisher

• Find Articles: mostly articles, some newspaper and popular literature

• All Eresources: includes non-textual databases (music, film, GIS etc)

• Discovery Search: All database or specific ones, or subject grouping; does not work well with PsycInfo

• Discovery Search for Social Work includes databases chosen for Social Work topics

Look for Films: Films on Demand, YouTube, CSpan