Databases allow you to look for articles. Databases usually have a citation (information about an article such as the title, author, name of the journal or magazine the article appeared in, volume and issue, date, and pages) and sometimes they will also contain an abstract, or summary, of the article.

Databases also often have information about other types of resources - books, essays or chapters, government documents, etc.

Some databases will also have the articles themselves (called the full text of the article). When that happens, you should see a link to an HTML or PDF document. If you do not see a link, click on Get it at GVSU.

Additionally, a great journal to search within is Research on Social Work Practice!

In order to do a successful search, it's helpful to come up with good keywords.  Here's a worksheet to help you get started.

Research-Supported Psychological Treatments

NREPP (National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices)

Below I've listed databases specific to social work, social services, or social sciences; keep in mind that depending on your topic, databases in other disciplines might be useful.  In order to see a list of subjects, go to the library homepage, then click 'databases'. I also recommend checking out Writing Center Graduate Student Services. For your Human Rights assignment, a great resource is the Human Rights GVSU Library Subject Guide.

These databases are subscribed to by GVSU's library.  They are also accessible from the Database link on the library's homepage.

The following links are to sources of information about policy that is pertinent to Social Work.  Some of these are for-profit organizations that analyze policy.  Please be aware that while these may be useful to you and may provide great perspective on policy, they are not scholarly sources.  Also, some of these sources are advocacy groups and are therefore not completely objective. If your assignment calls only for scholarly sources, please use your judgment.