Social Work Resources: Background Information

Use reference materials to find background information.  Reference books can help you:

• Explore a topic: find out what has been said about this subject, trends, issues, etc.
• Identify and define unfamiliar terms or people in your reading
• Find references to other books and articles on the subject
• Find specific keywords to use in online searches

Need some more background information about that new concept you learned in class today?  Writing a paper on a topic that's new to you?  Not sure what topic to choose for your paper?  Answer yes to any of these questions, and a subject-specific encyclopedia is the thing for you.

Wikipedia is a common starting point for many people researching a new topic, but unlike scholarly subject-specific encyclopedias, most professors will not allow you to cite Wikipedia in your bibliography.  View this video tutorial, Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface, from North Carolina State University Libraries for more information about how Wikipedia works and its information quality.

Top Pick! Encyclopedia of Social Work

Social Work Reference Books

Social Sciences Reference Books