When undertaking a research project, it may be a good idea to begin with some reference resources that provide background information on your topic. Subject-specific encyclopedias and handbooks provide useful and relevant overviews of a topic - they may also help you find a way to narrow your topic. Most encyclopedias and handbooks also include bibliographies at the end of each entry. These bibliographies will often list the "classic" or landmark articles on a topic.Citation searches can be done to find more recent articles that cite these landmark articles -- Ask a Librarian!
Social Workers' Desk Reference by
People all over the world are confronted daily by issues such as poverty, a lack of access to quality education, unaffordable and or inadequate housing, and a lack of needed health and mental services. These issues are dynamic and varied, and social workers need to have access to relevant andtimely evidence-based materials to meet the needs of those facing them. The Social Workers' Desk Reference is a comprehensive resource for practicing social workers.This essential reference is extraordinarily comprehensive and provides updated information in 15 parts covering the profession and its overarching themes; values, ethics, licensure; theoretical constructs; assessment; treatment plans; techniques; individual, family, and group Interventions;evidence-based practice; case management; community practice; vulnerable populations; behavioral and mental health; school social work; military social work; and forensic social work. All 163 chapters, written by experts in the field, are focused, practical, and contain critical content in additionto websites and updated references.The fourth edition follows in the tradition of the first three editions and updates previous topics but fearlessly addresses current salient subjects such as white nationalism, gaming disorder, substance abuse, LGBTQ+ populations, suicide, sexual violence in the military, smart decarceration, thelegacy of racism, neurobiology, technology and social work practice, Islamophobia, pseudoscientific behavioral and mental health treatments, emerging fields of practice, and more. It has greatly expanded its section on vulnerable populations to address the wide variety of diversity in theU.S.
