LibGuides: Harris Library Orientation: Finding articles with Research Databases

Finding articles with Research Databases

What are Research Databases?

Research databases are online tools for finding articles on your topic and:

Indexing (listing) the journal articles of a specific subject area or discipline.
Allowing for searching by keywords or subject headings (also called controlled vocabulary or descriptors).
Combining concept terms using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) to get more relevant results.
Offering ways to refine your search to further customize results.
Providing output options, including printing, e-mailing, downloading, or exporting results to reference manager software.

Where can I find them?

The social work research databases are available from the Harris Library Research Guides.
You can also find them for all subjects from the Library Catalog.

Selected Social Work Databases

Selected Databases in Social Work

The most frequently used research databases in social work are:

PsycNET This link opens in a new window
Provides exclusive Indexing of American Psychological Association publications (journals and books).
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Provides abstracts and citations to scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes material relevant to psychologists and professionals in related fields such as psychiatry, management, business, education, social science, neuroscience, law, medicine, and social work.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
The world's largest source of education information, containing abstracts of documents and journal articles on education research and practice. Covers descriptions and evaluations of programs, research reports and surveys, curriculum and teaching guides, instructional materials, position papers, and resource materials from 1966–present.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides access to full-text, peer-reviewed journals in sociology as well as related areas of study, including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion, and social work. With indexing for books, monographs, conference papers and other non-periodical content sources, the database also includes searchable cited references.
Social Sciences Citation Index® This link opens in a new window
Index, abstracts, and cited references for articles in the social sciences.

PsycINFO Evidence-based Search Video Tutorial

PsycINFO Video Tutorial

Watch the video tutorial below to learn about using PsycINFO to find information on the effectiveness of treating major depression with a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and antidepressants.