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Social Policy and Social Work: Journal Articles & Databases
Finding Articles on Reading Lists
Try this first
You can look up articles in OneSearch, our resource discovery service.
Put the exact title of the article in inverted commas.
If we can provide an instant link you will see the journal article displayed - click Full Text Online to access the text.
Next steps:
If we cannot provide a quick article link or it fails, then search for the name of the whole Journal instead of the article title e.g. "Journal of Common Market Studies"
For print-only journals you will be shown the location and shelfmark, so that you can locate the volume on the shelf
For electronic journals, click to link to the full journal and then navigate to the year, volume and issue that you want to see your article: or there may be an option to search for the article title provided by the online journal portal in which case key in the article in that box.
What Is Peer Review?
Articles in peer reviewed journals have been assessed before publication by subject experts. This means they are the 'gold' standard in academic articles. You will be expected to use peer reviewed journal articles in your assignments.
Search for a Journal Title
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Key Databases for Social Policy and Social Work
Sociological Abstracts (Proquest)
This database abstracts and indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers and working papers. Cited references are included for many journal articles.
Social Services Abstracts (Proquest)
This database provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services and related areas, including social welfare, social policy and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,300+ serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations and citations to book reviews.
Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (Proquest)
Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) is a multidisciplinary bibliographic database that covers health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations and education. ASSIA currently abstracts over 500 journals published in 16 different countries, including the UK and US. This database is particularly useful for research at the intersections between social science and health information.
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (Proquest)
The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) is an essential online resource for social science and interdisciplinary research. IBSS includes over two million bibliographic references to journal articles and to books, reviews and selected chapters dating back to 1951. It is unique in its broad coverage of international material and incorporates over 100 languages and countries. Over 2,800 journals are regularly indexed and some 7,000 books are included each year. Abstracts are provided for half of all current journal articles and full text availability is continually increasing.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts (Proquest)
This database covers literature related to research, policy and practice in criminal and juvenile justice and drug control. Search over 189,000 U.S. and international publications, including federal, state and local government reports, books, research reports, journal articles, audiovisual presentations and unpublished research.
ScienceDirect Journals (Elsevier)
ScienceDirect contains over 25% of the world's science, technology and medicine full text and bibliographic information. Includes online eBooks, reference works, handbooks, book series, journal titles and backfiles.
Violence & Abuse Abstracts (EBSCO)
Includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to violence and abuse, including family violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline.
Web of Science (all databases)
Web of Science is a website that provides subscription-based access to multiple databases that provide comprehensive citation data for many different academic disciplines.
SAGE Research Methods Core Collection
SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students from all disciplines with their research projects.
Key Journals for Social Policy & Social Work

Irish Social Worker
The journal of the Irish Association of Social Workers

Bbritish Journal of Social Work
The journal of the British Association of Social Workers.

European Journal of Social Work
The European Journal of Social Work provides a forum for the social professions in all parts of Europe and beyond. It analyses and promotes European and international developments in social work, social policy, social service institutions, and strategies for social change by publishing refereed papers on contemporary key issues.

Journal of Social Work Practice
This journal promotes the use of psychodynamic and systemic perspectives to explore and explain social work practice and relationship-based practice.

Social Work Education
Social Work Education publishes articles of a critical and reflective nature concerned with the theory and practice of social care and social work education at all levels.

Journal of Social Policy
The Journal of Social Policy carries articles on all aspects of social policy in an international context.

Critical Social Policy
Critical Social Policy is a peer reviewed journal that provides an international forum for advocacy, analysis and debate on social policy issues.

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies
The Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies (IJASS) was founded in 1998 and is published by Social Care Ireland.

Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy
The Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy publishes articles on all dimensions of comparative and international social policy

Children and Youth Services Review
Children and Youth Services Review is an interdisciplinary forum for critical scholarship regarding service programs for children and youth.
Full Lists of Databases and eJournals
Follow these links and pick a subject to see a longer listing for your subject:
- Last Updated: Feb 2, 2023 12:23 PM
- URL: https://libguides.ucd.ie/appliedsocsci
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