Start here
| Database | Description |
|---|---|
| Social Services Abstracts | Citations and abstracts focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. View Full Description |
Books
Search Omni (library catalogue) to find books.
- Finding books in Omni (video: 4:31)
- Finding ebooks (video: 3:42)
- How to find scholarly books (video: 3:04)
You can order books from different library locations for easy pick-up.
- Requesting books from other libraries in Omni (video: 1:53)
- Requesting interlibrary loans (video: 2:13)
Videos
Search the Omni to find videos. Under the "Resource Type" drop-down to the right of the search boxes, select "Audio Visual" to limit your search.
Online Collections
- American History in Video
- Video collection for the study of American history.
- CARMA
- Live and recorded webcasts on research methods and analysis. Requires log in.
- CBC Digital Archives
- CBC radio and television news clips, interviews, and more, documenting numerous aspects of Canadian life and history. Includes excerpts from the classic documentary series, This Hour Has Seven Days
- Counseling and Therapy in Video
- Collection of videos concerning social work, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling.
- Criterion-on-Demand
- Collection of feature films. Can be accessed solely for personal, non-commercial, educational / research viewing.
- Education in Video
- Collection of videos about topics in training and education, including classroom footage.
- Filmakers Library Online
- Video collection of over 900 documentaries for humanities and social sciences.
- Films On Demand
- Streaming video collection for the humanities and social sciences.
- Moving Image Archive
- Thousands of videos ranging from classic full-length movies, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to user-uploaded videos of every genre.
- National Film Board of Canada
- Thousands of documentaries, animations, and alternative dramas produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
- psychotherapy.net
- With the purpose of training therapists, this resource is a growing collection streaming videos of therapists conducting psychotherapy sessions.
- Social Care TV (SCIE)
- Covers broad aspects of the social care sector.
- Theatre in Video
- Video collection of plays and film documentaries.
- What is Grey Literature?
- Public Policy Databases
- Social Policy & Advocacy Websites
- Government Documents
- Association & Government Websites
- News
- Theses & Dissertations
- Evaluating Sources
What is Grey Literature?
In the context of Social Work scholarly research, grey literature is not formally or traditionally published and it is not usually subject to the process of peer-review. Examples of grey literature can include:
- Policy documents
- Association publications
- Theses and dissertations
There are many places to search for grey literature. This page directs you to some of those places.
Public Policy Databases
- desLibris
- Canadian government and non-governmental public policy documents.
- International Public Policy @ EBSCOhost
- Selected EBSCOhost databases for International Public Policy.
- International Public Policy @ ProQuest
- Selected ProQuest databases for International Public Policy.
- Conference Board of Canada e-Library
- Research reports on public policy, economics and management.
Social Policy & Advocacy Websites
- Caledon Institute of Social Policy
- Social policy think tank.
- The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- An independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social, economic and environmental justice.
- Canadian Council on Social Development
- A not-for-profit organization that partners and collaborates with all sectors (not-for-profit, philanthropic, government and business) and communities to advance solutions to today’s toughest social challenges.
- Canadian Policy Research Networks
- Socio-economic policy think tank.
- Canadian Social Research Links
- A virtual resource centre for Canadian social program information. Updated regularly with news from other sites.
- Charity Village
- A non-profit directory.
- The Council of Canadians
- A social action organization.
- The Centre for the Study of Living Standards
- A non-profit, national, independent organization that seeks to contribute to a better understanding of trends in and determinants of productivity, living standards and economic and social well-being through research.
- Institute for Social Research (York University)
- Houses the largest university-based survey research centre in Canada.
- Canadian Think Tanks (University of Alberta Library)
- Subject guide that provides an A-Z list of Canadian Think Tanks.
- Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal
- Provides access to research on Canadian child welfare programs and policies.
Government Documents
Visit the Government Information Subject Guide for more resources and to connect with the Government Information Librarian, Hélène LeBlanc.
- Canadian Research Index
- Citations to monographs and annual publications from Canadian government and institutional resources.
- PAIS Index (limit search to "PT = government document")
- International index to various types of publications on public/social policy and social sciences. Includes PAIS Archive.
- Google Advanced Search
- Combine search terms, limit results by region, search by file type (e.g. pdf), or search by domain such as gc.ca.
Association & Government Websites
Ontario
- Family Service Ontario
- Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
- Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies
- Ontario Association of Social Workers
- Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
- Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services
- Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
- Ontario Municipal Social Services Association
Canada
- Canadian Association of School Social Workers and Attendance Counsellors (CASSWAC)
- Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE)
- Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)
- Canadian Institute for Health Information
- Employment and Social Development Canada
- International Social Service Canada
International
- Association of Oncology Social Work
- Australian Association of Social Workers
- British Association of Social Workers
- Council on Social Work Education (US)
- International Association of Schools of Social Work
- International Association for Social Work with Groups, Inc.
- International Federation of Social Workers
- National Association of Social Workers (US)
- National Institute for Social Work (UK)
- Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (US)
News
Theses & Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations are major research projects conducted by senior university students, usually graduate students, as a degree requirement. Visit the Theses and Dissertations Subject Guide to find more resources.
- Dissertations & Theses Global (ProQuest)
- International database with full text and/or abstracts for doctoral dissertations and selected master's theses.
- Scholars Commons @ Laurier
- Online collection of the intellectual, creative, and scholarly output of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.
Evaluating Sources
You need to critically evaluate all types of sources to determine how appropriate they are for your research. This applies to grey literature sources in particular because they are produced outside formal or traditional publication channels.
- Evaluating Resources Guide
- How Can I Tell If My Source is Scholarly? (video: 4:21)
- Using Good Sources: Evaluating What You Find (video: 6:13)
Statistics and Data Portals
- Statistics Canada Homepage
- Discover resources, news, and research from Canada's national statistical agency.
- odesi
- Repository of socio-economic survey, census, and polling data from Statistics Canada, Ipsos Reid, Gallup, etc.
-
Health
- Canadian Institute for Health Information
- Statistics and analysis on the Canadian health care system.
- Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Surveillance
- Uses administrative data to analyze incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of chronic conditions and disease in Canada.
- Canadian Index of Wellbeing
- Measures the social well-being of Canadians.
- The Source for Women's Health
- Identifies and tracks sources of women's health data, reports, and reviews.
-
Select Resources
- Elections Canada
- Campaign results, voter turnout, and campaign finance information. Click on Resource Centre for reports and publications.
- Juristat
- Juristat is Statistics Canada’s annual publication for crime and justice statistics, such as homicide rates and violent crime rates by region. See topics by browsing by Chronological Index in the left-hand menu.
- Community Information Database (CID)
- Develop basic socio-economic profiles for communities in Canada.
- WomanStats Project
- A compilation of data on over 260 indicators of women's status in 174 countries. Creating a free account is required.
Questions?
Visit the Data and Statistics Subject Guide to find more resources and to connect with the Data Librarian.
What are Systematic Reviews?
Systematic reviews identify and analyze all of the research that has been done on a specific topic. They expose gaps in research and can help practitioners make decisions by revealing what up-to-date evidence shows.
“A systematic review attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a given research question. Researchers conducting systematic reviews use explicit methods aimed at minimizing bias, in order to produce more reliable findings that can be used to inform decision making.”
~ Cochrane Library, About Cochrane Reviews
- What are Systematic Reviews? (Cochrane video: 3:23)
- SAGE Handbook of Social Work, Ch. 31: Systematic Review
Finding Systematic Reviews
Try searching the following resources to find systematic reviews.
- Cochrane Library
- Collection of seven databases with information on the effects of intervention and prevention in health care.
- Campbell Library
- The peer-reviewed online monograph series of systematic reviews prepared under the editorial control of the Campbell Collaboration. Campbell systematic reviews follow structured guidelines and standards for summarizing the international research evidence on the effects of interventions in crime and justice, education, international development, and social welfare.
- Health Evidence.ca
- A database of systematic reviews of public health and health promotion interventions.
- Pubmed Systematic Review Filter
- Free biomedical literature search tool, composed primarily of Medline but including additional information. Select "Clinical Queries" under the heading "PubMed Tools" to find systematic reviews.
Questions?
Visit the Systematic Reviews Subject Guide for more information and contact the Social work Librarian, Meredith Fischer: mefischer@wlu.ca or 519-884-0710 ext. 4973.
Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia of Social Work
- Online, 2008
- Canadian Encyclopedia of Social Work
- Online, 2005
- Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America
- Online, 2005
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
- Online, 2008
- Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies
- Online, 2009
- Encyclopedia of Health and Aging
- Online, 2007
- Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
- Online, 2005
Dictionaries
- A Dictionary of Social Work and Social Care
- Online, 2013
Handbooks & Manuals
- Academic Writing and Referencing for Your Social Work Degree
- Online, 2018
- Handbook of Social Policy Evaluation
- Online, 2017
- Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work
- Online, 2019
- Social Workers' Desk Reference
- Laurier Social Work Library (Kitchener) HV40 .S6464 2009
- Understanding Your Social Agency
- Online, 2011
- The SAGE Handbook of Social Work
- Online, 2012
- Handbook of Group Counseling and Psychotherapy
- Online, 2004
Directories
- Blue Book Directory of Community Services for Waterloo Region
- Online, 2015
- Laurier Social Work Library (Kitchener) Reference HV110.K53 D5