Research Guides: SOWK 506: Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Finding Journal Articles

General Search Options

Search via USC Libraries
Search USC Libraries' print and online collections, including peer-reviewed journal articles.

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Filtered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Research Library is a multi-disciplinary index suitable for both undergraduates and graduate students.
It covers dozens of subject areas and indexes thousands of general and scholarly titles and provides full-text for a significant number of the articles included. It is an excellent starting place for research for a paper, particularly if one isn't sure where to begin their research.

Recommended Library Databases

The databases below cover specific subjects. Select the database based on your topic. For example, PsycINFO, which covers mental and behavioral health, would be good for articles about interventions or depression. Topics pertaining to education, try ERIC and topics about older adults, try AgeLine.

AGELINE This link opens in a new window
Content focus on social gerontology, which is the study of aging in psychological, health-related, social, and economic contexts. Includes abstracts of over 200 academic journals, books, book chapters, and dissertations from 1978 to present.
ERIC (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, contains more than 1.3 million records and links to more than 323,000 full-text documents dating back to 1966.
PTSDpubs This link opens in a new window
Formerly PILOTS: Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress, PTSDpubs is produced at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with the goal of including citations to all literature on PTSD and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events, without disciplinary, linguistic, or geographical limitations, and to offer both current and retrospective coverage from 1871 to present day, updated monthly.
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Abstract and citation database of scholarly literature in psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Includes journal articles, books, reports, theses, and dissertations from 1806 to present.
Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Social Services Abstracts provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development.
The database abstracts and indexes over 1,600 serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews.Updated monthly.
Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstract database of social work literature from 1977 to present. Topics include homelessness, child and family welfare, AIDs, aging, substance abuse, community organization, and more.
Violence & Abuse Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Violence & Abuse Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to violence and abuse, including family violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline.
The index contains 35,000 records, which are carefully selected from the most important sources within the discipline.

Recommended Journals

Articles provide research and analysis of a particular topic. Journal articles are more in-depth and specialized.

Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Social Services Abstracts provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development.
The database abstracts and indexes over 1,600 serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews.Updated monthly.
Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstract database of social work literature from 1977 to present. Topics include homelessness, child and family welfare, AIDs, aging, substance abuse, community organization, and more.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Filtered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.

Peer-reviewed articles

Peer-reviewed articles are considered the best examples of research in a given field because of the standards and the long process of review that articles go through to determine the validity and credibility of the research.

Ulrich's Periodical Directory will tell you if a journal is peer-reviewed (refereed). Type in the journal's name and look in the "Refereed" field.

Watch the short tutorial below for more tips on identifying peer-reviewed articles.