Social Work Information Retrieval

Reference Books
•      Encyclopedia of social work  Ref Stacks, Level 2  HV 35 .S6 1997
•      The social work dictionary Ref Stacks, Level 2  HV 12 .B37 1999

APSU Library Web Site <http://library.apsu.edu>

Information Search Tools
•      Use InfoTrac to identify articles
•   Use Felix Online Catalog to identify books in this Library
•     Use Google http://www.google.com to access websites

Using Search Protocols
•      Start with your specific topic (e.g. African American famil*)
•      Use truncation (e.g. famil* picks up family, families, familial)
•      Use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine concepts (e.g. famil* and social work)
•      Use subjects at end of article record (e.g. African American–Social Work with)
•      Try searching other words & phrases (e.g. black famil*)
•      Use references at the end of articles

Accessing Articles -Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials
•      Publishers hold the copyright to articles; they make money by selling periodicals in paper or electronic form to libraries and individuals
•      We may use an article for educational purposes, but must not resell the article
•      Some periodical articles are available on the Web, however, most cost a fee
•      Libraries pay database producers for access to articles for which producers have paid the articles’ copyright holders (e.g. publishers)

Evaluating Information – Relevance to Need
•      Does it support the content of your project?
•      Does it meet the requirements of your professor?
•      Is it appropriate for your audience?

Evaluating Information - Quality
•      Accuracy – is the information correct?
•      Authority – who wrote or published it?
•      Coverage – what is its purpose?  Does it provide in-depth information or is it just an overview?
•      Currency – when was it written?  Has it been updated?
•      Objectivity – fact or opinion? Point of view? Is it biased?

Citing Sources (APA Style) http://library.apsu.edu/guides/1_3_14_2.htm