LibGuides: Social Work: Finding Journal Articles

Community Care Inform Knowledge and Practice Hubs

Community Care Inform host demonstrations of how their platform can support you and also provide recorded presentations featuring experts who share the latest research and practice advice of specific areas of social work and children’s social care, and address practitioners’ questions. For more info, see here

Journal Articles

What are journals?

They are:

like magazines but of a scholarly nature
published at regular intervals with no predetermined end
contain articles on a variety of topics
the articles are written by different authors
sometimes they also contain reviews and other information
in printed and electronic formats

Why Should I use them?

journal time is much quicker than for a book
using information from journals will keep you up to date and informed of new developments in your subject
journals articles are more specific than books. They give you more detailed information in a more scholarly and concise format
subject may not yet (or may never) be covered in books
quality research - academic reputation - peer reviewed.

What does peer reviewed mean?

Written by an academic, who is a specialist in the subject
Submitted to an editor, who then passes the work to other professionals or 'peers' for a critiques, the work is then passed back to the original writer for changes to be made before being published
Longer articles, heavily text based
Charts, tables, statistics and images
Properly referenced with a list of references at the end of the article.

Databases for your subject

Using databases for your subject

For more specialist searching use an online database

What are online databases?

Databases are specialist search engines that search for quality information, such as journal articles, in specific subject areas.

The databases below are listed in order of relevance for your subject. Hover over the icons to see what help is available.

For help searching the databases contact your SSHL information team. Details on the Home page

Please note that all databases are provided for educational use only

Social Care Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
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Social Care Online provides access to the UK's most complete range of information and research on all aspects of social care. It contains all the information previously held in both the electronic Library for Social Care (eLSC) and CareData and much more. New content is added daily, covering all aspects of social care, including fostering, mental health and human resources and much, more.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Community Care Inform - Adults This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Community Care Inform Adults is the online resource that enables social care professionals to make robust, evidence-based decisions.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
To login to this resource:
Select 'Log In'
Search for 'Teesside University' in the Institution Login box
Click 'Find'
Click 'Teesside University' to confirm the correct institution
Click 'Login'
Login using your University email address and password

Can I access this resource?
To access Community Care Inform - Adults you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Community Care Inform - Adults licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)
Community Care Inform - Children This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Community Care Inform is the online resource that enables social care professionals to make robust, evidence-based decisions.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
To login to this resource:
Select 'Log In'
Search for 'Teesside University' in the Institution Login box
Click 'Find'
Click 'Teesside University' to confirm the correct institution
Click 'Login'
Login using your University email address and password

Can I access this resource?
To access Community Care Inform - Children you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Community Care Inform - Children licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)
ASSIA This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
ASSIA is a bibliographic database which gives references (with abstracts) to the literature of the applied social sciences, including social policy, social services, society, family issues, economics, politics, employment, race relations, health, education and youth work. The abstracts are taken from over 550 English language journals from 16 countries. Coverage is from 1987, with information being updated monthly.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access ProQuest databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource.

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms for ProQuest can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)
CINAHL Ultimate This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
CINAHL Ultimate provides broad content coverage including 50 nursing specialties, speech and language pathology, nutrition, general health and medicine and more. Help and guidance is available at http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E-H) (This link opens in a new window)
Criminal Justice Abstracts (with full text) This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Published by Ebsco, this resource includes bibliographic records and full text covering essential areas related to criminal justice and criminology. The increasing globalization of criminology is reflected in coverage of hundreds of journals from around the world. There are more than 300,000 records and full text comes from 200 magazines and journals, as well full-text books & monographs.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E-H) (This link opens in a new window)
Joseph Rowntree Foundation This link opens in a new window
Over 700 books and research reports available free from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The JRF are one of the largest social policy research and development charities in the UK, spending about £10 million a year on a research and development programme that seeks to better understand the causes of social difficulties and explore ways of overcoming them. The research is carried out in partnership with a large variety of academic and other institutions.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Lexis Plus (formerly LexisLibrary) This link opens in a new window
Lexis Plus (Lexis+) is a legal database containing UK, EU and international case law, legislation, legal journals, commentary texts, current awareness, and news. The database provides access to full text online legal and news information services and contains a range of practitioner texts including Butterworths Company Law Handbook and Butterworths Family Law Service as well as All England Law Reports, Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, and Halsbury's Laws. A full-text collection of several UK broadsheet, tabloid and local newspapers is also included.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Lexis Library you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University Faculty or Library staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
The licence for Lexis Nexis includes the following terms:
- The material available on Lexis Library is only for educational purposes directly linked to academic coursework
- You may only print one single hard copy of up to ten documents
- You may only download one single copy of up to ten documents
A copy of the full terms of the Lexis Library licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (I to L)
Overton This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Overton is the world’s largest searchable policy database. It includes access to over 5 million policy documents and guidelines from over 29,000 organisations in over 185 countries. The database extracts key terms and topics; it also maps citations to show the pathways to impact in policy.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
It is possible to create an account to enable searches, bookmarks and alerts to be saved.
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
PsycINFO contains citations and summaries of journal articles, books, technical reports and dissertations in the field of psychology and related disciplines such as psychiatry, physiology and sociology. Over 55,000 references are added annually.
Help and guidance is available at http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Sage Journals Online provides access to the following collections:
Premier Journals Collection portfolio of 1,101 titles
SAGE IMechE portfolio of 18 titles
SAGE RSM portfolio of 28 titles
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Journals Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Premier licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new window
SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. SAGE Research Methods links over 175,000 pages of SAGE’s book, journal and reference content with advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Research Methods and Cases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Research Methods & Cases licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Sage Research Methods Cases This link opens in a new window
Search and browse this collection of case studies of real social research, specially commissioned and designed to help you understand abstract methodological concepts in practice.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Research Methods and Cases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Research Methods & Cases licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Scopus This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Easy to use and comprehensive, Scopus is the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering 20,500 journals.

Further Help and guidance is available at http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl/support - please select the Scopus tab

Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Scopus you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Scopus licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
An abstracting & indexing database covering over 12,000 journals via the Science Citation Index Expanded, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Conference proceedings for science and social sciences & humanities are also indexed
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Web of Science you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Web of Science licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)
Westlaw UK This link opens in a new window
Can I access this resource?
To access Westlaw UK you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Westlaw UK licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)

Help - journal articles

The following guides will help you to develop your skills in finding journal articles:

Finding Journals

Critical thinking - what it is and why it matters.

Doing a Literature Search

Developing Keywords

Evidence Based Practice

Evidence Based Practice is about using the best available evidence on the effectiveness of an intervention as a basis for professional decision making in practice.

For information and resources for Evidence Based Practice, see the Evidence Based Practice LibGuide

Need to Search Grey Literature

Grey literature is material which is not usually published through normal channels. Examples of grey literature include: government reports, theses, conference papers and abstracts, discussion papers, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, best practice documents, guidelines and protocols.

The helpsheet below details the best sources to use to find grey literature in health.

Library Helpsheet - Grey literature: Health
Library Helpsheets

The UK Health Security Agency have also compiled an index of grey literature and the link to this is below.

UK Health Security Agency: Grey literature: index and alternative sources and resources

Inter Library Loans

Have you found a useful resource that we do not have access to? The Inter Library Loan (ILL) service gives staff and students of Teesside University access to material not currently held by the Library. See the Inter Library Loan Guide for more information.

Inter Library Loan Guide