Articles are journal publications. Articles may discuss research, theory, or some aspect of teaching and learning. To find articles in the library's search interface, you can filter your search query to only include peer reviewed articles (shown below -- filters on the far left).
Journals are research and theory publications that feature writings from professionals in a field. Journal article submissions are traditionally peer-reviewed by discipline professionals to verify the article's credibility. To find Social Work related journals, visit the following link: Tulane University — BrowZine. Once you've visited the page, you can --
a.) search "Social Work" to find relevant journals
b.) visit the "Social Science and Behavioral Science" tab on the left and select "Social Work."
Here are examples of highly cited journals from across the subfields of social work. Set up personalized feeds to these or other journals using the free JournalTOC service, publishers' websites, or through our subscription databases.
Rankings are in order of impact factor as calculated by Journal Citation Reports for 2012. Ask a librarian for assistance using this tool or for more information on impact factors and other citation measurements.
Social Services Abstracts and Social Work Abstracts index the scholarship in social work and human services journals. They each excel in different areas of coverage and indexing, so it is recommend you search in both.
If you aren't finding enough research on your topic, expand your search to other databases in related fields including applied social sciences, family studies, public policy, and sociology, or ask a librarian for additional suggestions specific to your research topic.
| Section | Description & Reading Tips |
| Abstract (Summary) | The abstract succinctly describes each section of the research/article. Reading the abstract will help you understand how to use the information in your own research/writing. |
| Introduction (Why is this important?) | The introduction defines key concepts and ideas examined in the article. This section is ripe with background information that you can use in your own research/writing. Be sure to consult the references in the introduction to help build your knowledge of the subject. |
| Literature Review (Who are other researchers/thinkers in the field and what have they learned?) | The literature review summarizes the existing literature on a topic. Like introductions, literature reviews have referential content that can help build your subject knowledge. Literature reviews are also used to identify gaps in a research area, so you may be able to pick up where a researcher left off. |
| Methods & Methodology (What was done and why was it done in that way?) | This section explains the research procedures that were used to investigate the research question. When reading this section, note why each method was used. There may be procedures that could be expanded upon for future studies. |
| Results/Findings (What was produced from the methods?) | The results section provides the outputs of the research process. This section can be number heavy, so be sure you understand the methods that derived the outputs. You may also be able to consult charts and graphs to help you understand the results. |
| Discussion (How do the findings advance the research area?) | The discussion connects the authors findings with their research questions and the research of others in the field. In this section, an author may discuss the limits of their research. This section may provide further research directions. |
| References | A list of the resources used to complete the research/writing. |
| Appendices, Figures, Images | Resources that help contextual, visualize, and/or explain some aspect of the research/article |
Visit the following library guide to learn more about how to read scholarly articles!
