When to Use a Scholarly Source
Use scholarly sources to give context to your local data. Scholarly sources explore relationships between characteristics or populations in characteristics. Every research question needs at least two subjects -- known as keywords. Identify at least two defining traits or characteristics of your community, and use scholarly research to understand the relationship between them. For example, a scholarly research question might ask, "What is the relationship between homelessness and food insecurity?"
Note that scholarly research questions are typically not location-specific. You likely will not find articles about your specific community, and that's ok! Use scholarly research to contextualize the information about your community.
General Search Options
- Search via USC LibrariesSearch USC Libraries' print and online collections, including peer-reviewed journal articles.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowFiltered Google Search finding scholarly journal articles, books, citations, and case law.
- ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new windowProQuest Research Library is a multi-disciplinary index suitable for both undergraduates and graduate students.
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.
- AGELINE This link opens in a new windowContent 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- ERIC (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowThis database contains information on published and unpublished sources on thousands of educational topics. Updated monthly.
- Family Studies Abstracts This link opens in a new windowFamily Studies Abstracts (available through EBSCOhost) includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to family studies, including marriage, divorce, family therapy, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. The index contains over 45,000 records.
- Military Database This link opens in a new windowThe Military Database covers topics across all government and military branches, including international relations, political science, criminology, defense, aeronautics and space flight, communications, civil engineering, and more. An important benefit of the Military Database is its content diversity. Included are scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, government publications, and more.
- PsycINFO This link opens in a new windowAbstract 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.
- PTSDpubs This link opens in a new windowFormerly 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.
- PubMed@USC This link opens in a new windowPubMed provides access to millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. This version is customized for USC users to find the full-text of articles.
- Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new windowSocial 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.
- Social Work Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstract 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 windowViolence & 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.
Scholarly Journals
Look up the top ranked journals in Social Work according to Web of Science Journal Citation Reports
In the database, Journal Citation Reports - select Browse Categories. Then select the tab Journal Ranks, and use the filters on the left to select the subject.
The selected journals below include scholarly, peer-reviewed social work research. You can access other journals on the USC Libraries website by using the Journals search. Under FIND, select Journals.
- Clinical Social Workpeer-reviewed original articles relevant to contemporary clinical practice with individuals, couples, families, and groups.
- Intersectionalitiespeer-reviewed, open access journal sponsored by Memorial University's School of Social Work. The journal is international in scope, and publishes articles relating to social work analysis, research, polity, and practice.
- Journal for Society of Social Work and Researchpeer-reviewed publication dedicated to presenting rigorous, original research on social problems, programs, and policies.
- Journal of LGBT issues in Counseling"The Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling is the national, peer-refereed journal affiliated with the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities, a division of the American Counseling Association. The journal publishes manuscripts that report cutting-edge empirical research, best practices, and emerging trends and issues focused on counseling the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual ally, pansexual, or other sexual minority communities at all developmental stages of life "
- Journal of Social Service ResearchEmpirical research and its application to the design, delivery, and management of the new social services.
- Journal of Social WorkThe Journal of Social Work is a forum for the publication, dissemination and debate of key ideas and research in social work.
- Professional Psychology: Research and Practicepublishes articles on psychological assessment, treatment, and practice implications.
- Psychology and Sexuality"Psychology & Sexuality is an international journal which publishes high quality quantitative and qualitative psychological research on sexualities. The journal aims to advance knowledge and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, heterosexual and queer issues in psychology and allied disciplines."
- Qualitative Social WorkThe journal promotes exchange and conversation on the nature of reflective inquiry and practice, emerging applications of critical realism in social work, the potential of social constructionist and narrative approaches to research and practice.
- Research on Social Work Practicebi-monthly, disciplinary journal devoted to the publication of empirical research concerning the assessment methods and outcomes of social work practice.
- Social Science ResearchSocial Science Research publishes papers devoted to quantitative social science research and methodology.