Finding and Using Sources as a Working Social Worker: Where to find sources

Open access (OA) resources are publications that are available to anyone online without charging a fee to readers for access.

Open Access Journals: You can find open access journals through the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): https://doaj.org/

Open Access Repositories: An open access repository is an online database of publications that individual authors have decided to make available to anyone online.

• Many academic institutions have open access repositories where scholars affiliated with that institution can deposit copies of their work. Columbia's repository is called Academic Commons. If you are looking for a publication and you know the academic institution where the author is based, try searching for the name of the academic institution and the phrase "open access repository."
• Other open access repositories are organized around a particular discipline. For example, the Social Science Research Network includes thousands of open access papers from many social science disciplines. OpenDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories) allows you to search for repositories in one place.

Your local public library may be able to connect you with resources that would otherwise be behind a paywall. If you are in New York City, you can use any or all of our three public library systems: New York Public Library (serves Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island), Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library. Research resources are free at all three systems. See their websites for information about how to sign up for a library card and start using their research resources.

If you are located somewhere else in the United States, you can locate your local public library by searching for the name of your city, town, or county and "public library." It's possible you are eligible to sign up for library cards for multiple library systems, so check the rules for large public library systems in your state even if you don't live in one of those cities. When you sign up for a card, speak to a librarian and let them know what kind of information you tend to look for. They might have some tips about how to navigate your specific library system for your research need.

It's also sometimes possible for members of the public to gain access to local public college and university libraries. It's worth asking nicely!

Often, authors of papers will send you a copy of their paper if you can find their email address and ask. You can say something like, "I am a social worker, and I'm interested to read your paper [name of paper], but I don't have access through a library. Would you mind sending me a copy if you can? Thank you!"

Policy research is complex and often encompasses many types of information and potential sources. The following image, developed by Kimberly Pendell at Portland State University, illustrates the many areas and contexts where policy information is used and created:

Law

• For New York City, see the New York City Government Information Guide.
• For New York State, see the New York State Government Information Guide.
• For Federal law, see https://www.govinfo.gov/ as a great starting point. For more information, see The Legislative Process Research Guide. Most but not all of the resources on this guide are freely available.
• For states and cities other than New York, consult the government websites of these states and cities. A state library may be able to point you towards information about laws in that state. Try searching "[name of state] state library" to locate one.

Government Agencies

• For New York City, see the New York City Government Information Guide.
• For New York State, see the New York State Government Information Guide.
• For Federal government agencies, the U.S. Government documents page is a good place to start. The Regulatory Process Guide in particular may be helpful.
• If you are looking for a particular agency in a state other than New York, try searching the name or your best guess for the name of the agency and the name of the state you're looking for in order to locate that agency's website.

Data & Statistics

• For New York City data, see the New York City Data Research Guide. Most of the resources on this guide are freely available.
• For U.S. Census data, see the U.S. Census Data Research Guide.

Research Articles

• For academic journal articles, use the article search resources outlined on the rest of this page.
• For Federal topics, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a quick way to find an overview of policy topics. The CRS site contains Research and analysis produced for Congress on a wide range of issues.

Policy & Advocacy Groups

• For NY State, see the Public Interest & Research Groups page on the New York State Government Information guide.
• Find relevant think tanks using the Open Think Tank Directory (but be sure to critically evaluate think tank sources).
• Try searching for your policy topic, the word "advocacy," and the state, city, or other location you're interested in to find local advocacy groups.

Media & Public Opinion

• Read the database descriptions on the CU Libraries alumni page to learn which databases include news coverage.

Boolean Operators

Many library and library-like databases use Boolean searching. Use Boolean operators AND, NOT, and OR to make your search more narrow (AND), more broad (OR), or to exclude a particular word or phrase (NOT).

Advanced Search Tips

• Use “quotation marks” for exact phrases (“president elect” vs president AND elect)
• Use * to find plurals and variants (*celeration will find acceleration and deceleration; child* will find children, childhood).
• Citation chasing – use the bibliographies of useful articles to locate other articles and authors to search