Pick a research topic

• Read your syllabus (assignment instructions).
• Pick a topic that interests you and meets the assignment instructions.
• Narrow or broaden the scope of your topic so that it is "doable."
  • What's scope? Scope refers to the "people, places and things" or "who, what, when and where" that you are studying. For example, Canada or another country? Children or adults? Education or child protection services?

Identify key concepts

Use specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries to help identify key concepts:

• Oxford research encyclopedias. Social work
• Canadian encyclopedia of social work
• A dictionary of social work and social care

Use this worksheet to write out your research topic and identify key ideas.

Explore your topic

Introducing the library's search engine - which makes it possible to search across many of the library's collections simultaneously. Including books, ebooks, journal titles, games, music, videos, government information, maps, and more.

However,  it doesn't search everything that the library owns or subscribes to so you will still need to search other resources to find everything that you need. The search engine also doesn't let you do sophisticated searches that you may be used to doing in specific databases.

When to use the library's search engine:

• When starting research on a topic
• If you are not sure which databases to use

Do an initial search for academic sources

• Here are some videos to help you pick the right search engines and sources for your assignment.
  • Beware of filter bubbles:  What to know about Google and filtered information.
  • Search faster, search smarter: How to search using your key concepts.

Grey literature

Grey literature is an important source of information in social work. 

• It adds a valuable global perspective
• It provides detailed overviews on specific populations
• It may be only source of local information

Grey literature is defined as "information produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in electronic and print formats not controlled by commercial publishing" ie. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body."  ICGL Luxembourg definition, 1997. Expanded in New York, 2004

Types of grey literature

• Government Information
• Dissertations and Theses
• Conference Proceedings (select Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science, you may also want to select the Social Science and Humanities option)
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Think Tank publications

Library resources

• Library Search Engine (change Content Type to types of grey literature such as government documents, conference proceedings etc.)
• Google Scholar (change country, for example, to find international material)
• Government information (customized Google search)
• Databases such as Social Work Abstracts or the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (check document types; may include theses, conference proceedings, etc.)
• Business Source Complete (select publication type "Grey literature")
• Dissertations and Theses Global

Other Resources

• Canadian Government Information (a customized search engine for online Canadian government information)
• Canadian Public Policy Collection (To limit your search in Scholars Portal, select Canadian Public Policy Collection from drop down menu in Select Collection field.)
• Grey Matters (a checklist for health technology assessment from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH))
• Grey Net (an international directory of organizations in Grey Literature and a respository) 

Web sources of grey literature

Academic research centres and educational websites

• Academic Room
• Centre for Studies on Poverty and Social Citizenship (Carleton University, School of Social Work)

Social work organizations

• Canadian Association of Social Workers
• Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE-ACFTS)
• Council on Social Work Education (United States)
• International Federation of Social Workers
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (United States)
• National Institute for Social Work (United Kingdom)
• Social Work Policy Institute (United States)

Social research groups 

• Ontario Public Interest Group (OPIRG) Toronto
• Caledon Institute of Social Policy A private, non-profit social policy think tank that conducts social policy research and analysis.
• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
• Canadian Council on Social Development
• Canadian Index of Wellbeing Provides analyses of changes in Canadians' lives in areas such as health, standard of living, quality of the environment, time use, education and skills, community vitality, and civic engagement.
• Canadian Policy Research Networks (closed in 2010 but information still available on website)
• The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) (Canada)
• The Council of Canadians
• National Council of Welfare 
• Social Research and Demonstration Corporation Canada (a non-profit research organization, that develops, does field tests and evaluates social programs)
• Think Tanks (University of Alberta Library)
• Vanier Institute of the Family

Social Work Gateways

• Charity Village Canada's supersite for the nonprofit sector
• PRAXIS (Resources for Social and Economic Development)
• Social Work Access Network (SWAN) (University of South Carolina)
• Social Work Internet Guide (University of Sydney Library)

Related Carleton University websites

• School of Social Work
• Equity Services

Special topics

Aboriginal Canadians

• Aboriginal and Indigenous Social Work
• Assembly of First Nations
• Aboriginal Healing Foundation
• Aboriginal Links: Canada and US (Links to resources all subjects dealing with Aboriginal culture and rights)
• National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
• Turning Point (Native Peoples and Newcomers Online)
• Turtle Island Native Network Highly recommended
• Unicef Canada Aboriginal children’s health: Leaving no child behind. Canadian supplement to The State of the World's Children 2009
• Wigwamen Non-Profit Residential Corporation

Abuse and Violence

• Institutional Child Abuse (Law Commission of Canada files archived by Library and Archives Canada)
• La Marsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution (York University)
• Child Welfare Information Gateway (United States)
• National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (Canada)
• Victims of Violence (Canadian Centre for Missing Children)

Aging

• American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
• 50plus.com Canada's Association for the Fifty-Plus
• Canadian Association on Gerontology
• Canadian Senior Citizens Information and Services Center
• The Council on Aging of Ottawa
• Long Term Care Planning Network A Canadian national resource centre for aging and long term care planning and education.
• Nova Scotia Centre on Aging
• refdesk.com: Seniors Online

Bereavement

• Bereaved Families of Ontario
• Bereaved Families of Ontario - Ottawa Region
• Bereaved Families of Ontario - Toronto
• Bereavement Ontario Network
• Cruse Bereavement Care (United Kingdom)
• Sample reading list (Martha Attridge Bufton)

Children and Youth

• Carleton University Library: Child Studies Subject Guide
• Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being
• Child Welfare League of Canada
• Teen Health and Wellness

Disabilities

• ARCH Disability Law Centre (Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped)
• Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
• Canadian Disability Resources Society
• CHADD: Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Children with Disabilities
• CERA:Centre for Equality Rights in Accomodation
• Council of Canadians with Disabilities
• DAWN Canada: DisAbled Women's Network Canada
• Disability-Related Policy in Canada
• EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information
• LDOnLine: Learning Disabilities Information & Resources (United States)
• NEADS (National Educational Association of Disabled Students)
• Neil Squire Foundation
• Community Living Ontario
• The Ontarians With Disabilities Act: ODA Committee
• National Institute of Disability Management and Research

Family

• Adoption Council of Canada
• Canadian Association for Family Resource Programs
• Centre for Families, Work, and Well-Being
• Family Law Centre provides comprehensive information on Canada's Divorce and Family Law
• Family Service Canada
• Vanier Institute of the Family

Feminism

• Canadian Women's Internet Association
• Carleton University Library: Women's Studies Subject Guide
• Women of Color Websites

Health

• Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
• Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research

Homelessness

• Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa
• Canada Without Poverty
• Canadian Federation of Municipalities (reports: The State of Canada's Cities and Communities 2012 and Trends and Issues in Affordable Housing and Homelessness)
• Homelessness & Housing (Canadian Social Research Links)
• National Council of Welfare
• Ottawa Innercity Ministries
• PovNet (British Columbia)
• Raising the Roof Solutions for Canada's Homeless
• The Workfare Watch Project
• Pilot Atlas of Risk of Homelessness (This atlas represents interactive risk of homelessness data. To view, you require a high speed internet connection and a recent version of Safari, Firefox and/or Chrome.)

Human Rights

• Amnesty International Canada
• Carleton University: Educational Equity Policy (Equity Services)
• Carleton University Library: Human Rights Subject Guide
• Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Human Rights Organizations and Resources
• Office of the High Commisioner for Human Rights (United Nations)

Immigration and resettlement

 Ceris:  The Ontario Metropolis Centre

Labour

• Canadian Labour Congress
• Canadian Union Of Public Employees
• Community Social Planning Council of Toronto
• International Council on Social Welfare
• Interational Labour Organization
• The Ontario Federation of Labour
• PSAC: Public Service Alliance of Canada

Mental Health

• Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Mental Health Commission of Canada

Poverty

• Canada Without Poverty
• End Poverty Edmonton
• National Council of Welfare
• PovNet (British Columbia)

Restorative Justice

• Restorative justice links

Sexual Orientation

• Carleton University Library: Sexuality Studies Subject Guide
• Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
• Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition
• EGALE Canada / Equality For Gays & Lesbians Everywhere
• Gay and Lesbian Resources (University of Arizona Library)
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Studies (University of California)
• GayCanada.COM
• The Dr. Kelly McGinnis Library (Canada`s largest gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered lending library)
• NGLTF National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Substance Abuse

• Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug use: Subject Guide
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
• The Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research
• National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (PREVLINE)
• Substance abuse: Access to Justice Network (Choose "Substance Abuse" from the 'Select a keyword" pull-down list)

Suicide Prevention

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
• Centre for Suicide Prevention

Wellbeing

•  Canadian Index of Wellbeing