SCWK 240 Berghoef
Foundations of Practice
Getting Started With Your Research
- Look over your assignment. Highlight the main point and key words you need for your search strategy.
- Gather basic information about your topic. Reference materials (print and electronic) and books in the general collections (also print and electronic) will help you get started.
- Form your thesis statement: what are you trying to research or describe?
- Break your thesis statement into concepts - what two or three words describe the major points of your project?
- Think about alternate forms and synonyms of the words used.
- Develop "concept blocks"- each concept block made of similar words that describe a topic.
- Search the databases using keywords from your concept blocks.
- Try this power point to give you some further direction: Getting Started With Research
Using Library Resources to Find Reliable Information
Reliable information may be found in many types of library materials. Some examples are:
- Books that may be found in the Catalog. If you specifically want online books, please click here.
To find books related to Social Work consider using the Catalog and performing:- A subject search for Social Work
- A subject search for Social Service
- Also, you may want to see subjects related to social services
- If not finding what you want using Subject Searches, consider a Keyword Search
- Also,consider searching for online books in eBrary, using keywords.
- Encyclopedias and other reference books can also be found in the Catalog, or please see our collection of Online Encyclopedias.
- Articles from Journals, newspapers, newsletters, and more can be found in Databases.
Where to Find Materials at FLITE: Finding Journal Articles (Databases)
To find articles pertinent to your topic, it is essential to use the appropriate databases that provide access to many citations and full-text articles. If you are doing research from off-campus, you will need to log-on to use databases licensed by FSU. You can log-on to the databases using your MyFSU username and password. Click here for more information on off-campus database access.
Some of the databases we recommend you try include:
Social Work Abstracts
Social Science Abstracts
PsycINFO
General OneFile
JSTOR
Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe
ERIC
Internet Resources for Social Work
Fed Stats
Government Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Priorities Project
Child Stats
Obtaining the Full-Text of Articles
In some databases you will see an option for a Text version of the document or a PDF version. In general, the PDF version is preferable as it is most often a scanned version of the original and will therefore contain the graphics. When e-mailing, printing, or saving a group of articles, be sure to select the full-text or PDF option if available.
Some databases contain little full-text, but allow you to link out to Ferris' holdings or the interlibrary loan request form. You will notice the Find it! links following individual citations that will indicate the availability of the article online, in the library, or the need to interlibrary loan the article. Click on the Go button and you will be taken to the online version, library holdings record, or interlibrary loan form to obtain the article you desire. See the example below:
Sample Article Link-Out from the Online Catalog Journals Tab
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another's work or ideas as your own. Plagiarism is often unintentional, but it occurs whenever you use someone else's ideas or words without giving them credit. It can be obvious - purchasing a term paper or turning in a project done by someone else. It can be putting other's ideas into your own words. It can be cutting and pasting text from a web site. A simple rule: Do not copy text from Web pages or other sources without identifying and giving credit to the original author.
Here are some ways to avoid plagiarism, taken from PILOT, the FLITE Information Literacy Online Tutorial.
To avoid Plagiarism:
- Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas
- Write down the complete citation information for each item you use
- Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words
- Always credit original authors for their information and ideas
For more information about Plagiarism, please explore the Plagiarism web page provided by the Ferris State University Writing Center.
Citing Sources and RefWorks
Whenever you are quoting or using information from a source, you must credit or cite that source. Failure to do so is plagiarism which can lead to expulsion from the University.
To learn more about citations, check out this FLITE Citations page.
Print out the FLITE APA Citation Guide and use it to properly format your citations.
Northern Michigan University's APA Guide
RefWorks: A wonderful resource subscribed to by the library. You can create an account and format your citations in a fraction of the time it takes to format citations without this great tool.
RefWorks Tutorial: Need help using RefWorks? Check out this extensive tutorial that can assist you with using RefWorks. Don't miss the A-Z database exporting guide that will show you how to use all of the FLITE databases with RefWorks.
Contact: Alison (Ali) Konieczny / Email / Phone: 231-591-3696 / Office: FLITE 315
Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.
Last update: November 3, 2008