For quick access to high quality information for your assignments, try the links on these pages.

Set up the University VPN system to access these resources any time, anywhere.

New - 1st May 2025: Changes happening to Ebook Central.

Reading Lists

Your lecturers spend a lot of time deciding which resources to recommend, so always look at your module reading lists first. The link above takes you to the lists for courses in SELL.

You need to scroll down quite a way to find BSc Social Work and even further for MSc Social Work, so clicking the links here may be easier.

  • School of Education, Languages and Linguistics

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Your lecturers spend a lot of time deciding which resources to recommend, so always look at your module reading lists first. The link above takes you to the lists for courses in SELL.

Key Starters for Essays, Projects and Independent Studies

  • Think about what you need to find.
  • Look at your topic and identify keywords and phrases which will help you find relevant information.
  • Ask yourself whether other words are often used to describe parts of the topic e.g. teenagers, youths, adolescents and note these down for your search too.
  • Decide what type of information you need and where you are going to search. The details below and the other sections on this subject page will help you with this.

It is important to understand the type of information you need when researching for your assignment.  For example you may want to start by finding definitions or background information. You may have been asked to find journal articles. Alternatively you may be seeking professional information, statistics or research findings. Once you have decided what type of information you need, you can use the Ocean of Information to help you understand the value of different sources and how to access them. When using the Library's Discovery Service to search, you will find that you can get a list of sources to choose from by clicking Add filters under the search box, then moving down to Source Types in the column which pops out on the right.

Evaluating your sources is also crucial when writing a piece of academic work - the Evaluating information section on the library website will guide you through this process.

Books often provide an excellent overview of a topic and are a great resource when starting an assignment.

To find print books:

Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
For each book, note the floor, number and letter code: FIRST FLOOR 658.00721 BRY - speed things up by taking a photo!

To find ebooks:

Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
Filter your search on the left hand side to 'Electronic Books'.  
Click on the title of the ebook to load the full record, then use 'Online access' to view.

If you want to search within ebook packages, you will find those most relevant to you in the next 2 sections.

  • Credo Reference

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Explore Credo for trusted reference sources like dictionaries - a great alternative to Wikipedia! 

    Watch these short videos to get started:

    1. Search tips
    2. Using the automated mind map

  • Ebook Central

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Access around 200,000 ebooks across all subject areas.

  • SAGE Catalyst

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    A collection of over 500 full-text social science textbooks from SAGE.

  • The Campbell Library

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    The Campbell library produced by the Campbell Collaboration, is a collection of systematic reviews relating to the effects of social interventions in areas such as crime, social welfare, education and international development. At the site, scroll down to Topic Browse and choose Campbell Subject Categories.

    Look at the systematic reviews for your subject or view resources such as policy documents.

  • Oxford Handbooks Online: Sociology

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Oxford Sociology Handbooks offer thorough introductions and a survey of the current state of research in key topics such as class, culture, migration, poverty, the body, sport etc. Chapters review key issues and major debates and indicate how the debates might evolve.

    Get search tips from this video.

  • Oxford Research Encyclopedia: Criminology and Criminal Justice

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Read authoritative, peer-reviewed, regularly updated entries written by experts covering criminology and criminal justice across the world. Topics include criminal behaviour, theory, juvenile justice, victimology, cybercrime, policing, race, ethnicity and crime and much more.

    Watch this short video outlining the benefits of this source.

    For search tips watch this video.

Finding Articles and Key Practitioner Updates

For many assignments, our Discovery Service will give you enough sources to work with. This short video shows you how to get the best from Discovery.

Sometimes you may want to try specific databases or journals, including those with a practitioner focus - perhaps your lecturer has recommended particular sources as a good way of finding articles or practitioner information. This section lists key sources for Social Work.

Scholarly, peer-reviewed journals are highly regarded as a source of academic information because they include expert opinions, research findings and references to follow up.

They are written by specialised professionals and academics (such as your lecturers) from around the world.

Finding, reading and referencing relevant journal articles will help you get the highest marks.

If you don't like the large number of results on Discovery, you might prefer to try these more focused sources.

  • CareKnowledge

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    CareKnowledge keeps you up to date with social care information covering all relevant policy, research and practice materials published in the UK. It provides access to an extensive archive of research documents, policy papers, journal articles, up-to-date editor’s briefings and special reports.

  • CINAHL

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    CINAHL (the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) contains journal article abstracts with links to the full-text where available. Locate articles from the nursing and allied health subjects

    This database is available to search on its own from the link above, plus you will find CINAHL results when searching Discovery

    Help pages available

    Using CINAHL/MeSH Subject Headings 

     

  • Community Care Inform Adults

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    This online resource has been built with and for social workers and other professionals who work with vulnerable adults and their families. The site aims to equip practitioners and students with the information they need to confidently make informed decisions and assessments. Stay on top of the latest guidance, good practice, research, legislation and case law and actively expand your knowledge base by learning through case work. The quick guides work as well on mobile as they do on a computer making them perfect to check while on the move.

  • Community Care Inform Children

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    This online resource has been built with and for social workers and other professionals who work with children, young people and their families. The overall aim of the site is to improve standards of practice by equipping practitioners with the information they need to confidently make informed decisions and assessments; stay on top of the latest guidance, good practice, research, legislation and case law; and to actively expand their knowledge base by learning through case work.

  • PsycInfo

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Abstracts of articles covering subjects including psychology, health, business, education, law, linguistics, medicine, neuroscience, pharmacology, social work, sociology and sport.

  • SocINDEX

    Fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    A key source for tracking down articles across the social sciences. This database is available on the EBSCO platform allowing you to search this database alongside others within Discovery.

Citation databases can be very helpful for advanced research at Masters' level upwards as they help you move quickly from a known author or article to finding out which other articles list them in their bibliographies. This is especially useful when you have only found a small number of results in your initial searches.

  • Scopus

    Large abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering all subject areas.

  • Web of Science

    Part of Web of Knowledge, includes records for thousands of scholarly publications. Search across three main citation databases (Science/Social Science/Arts & Humanities). 

Creating a search strategy

The following pages have been designed to take you step-by-step through the process of creating a search strategy.

They can be read in the order given, or if one step of the process is of particular interest to you - for example - Applying search techniques - you can go straight to that section.

Today’s search topic is:

The impact of hand hygiene on infection control in a hospital setting.

Please note, while the above topic is health related, the same searching principles will apply across all Health and Science subjects. 

Instead of typing the whole topic into Google or any other search engine, we are going to break our topic into concepts before we begin searching. 

When you have broken your topic down into concepts, you can start thinking more carefully about the vocabulary that may be used for each of the concepts you have identified.

  • Alternative keywords will help you to broaden your search if you are not finding very much information on your topic.
  • Alternative keywords will help you to narrow your search and make it more subject specific if you are finding too much information.

The Alternative keywords video explains the process in more detail.

When you have selected the alternative keywords for your search strategy, it is time to apply some search techniques to those keywords. The Applying Search Techniques video explains more about using “phrase searching” and truncation.

When you have applied your phrase searching and truncation, you are ready to run your search in EBSCO Discovery

Research Methods

  • Sage Research Methods

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    Access books and videos about quantitative and qualitative research methods and many more social science research topics. Use the Tools drop-down at the top centre of the screen to access a handy Project Planner which is full of FAQs about what you need to consider at each stage in a project/dissertation. Tools also contains a Methods Map which is ideal for quickly finding details about a particular research method.

Newspapers and Magazines

  • Nexis Uni

    Full text articles from many news sources and trade journals both UK and international. Archives sometimes stretching back to the mid 1980s. For use in the UK only.

  • PressReader

    PressReader lets you access UK and international newspapers, plus a wide range of magazine content. Everything is full colour with archives varying in length depending on the publication.

    Login guidance

Films, TV, Radio and Training Videos

  • BoB: On demand TV and radio for education

    An archive of UK television and radio programmes from free to air channels (1998 onwards). For use in the UK only. Find some great tips about how to use BoB in these short videos.

  • Kanopy

    A unique collections of films including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases on every topic imaginable. Content can be searched or browsed.

  • Linkedin Learning

    Online learning and training courses covering business and employability, as well as creative and technical skills.

Statistics

  • Age UK

    Age UK helps millions of people, providing support, companionship and advice. Their website contains information and advice which is helpful to individuals, their families and professionals who work with them. They campaign with and for older people to champion their rights, needs and wishes. They have local branches throughout the UK and via Age International link to concerns about older people across the world.

  • British Association of Social Workers (BASW)

    The independent professional membership organisation for social work across the UK. Amongst other useful information, the site includes the Code of Ethics.

  • Equality and Human Rights Commission

    The official UK body with the mandate to challenge discrimination.

  • GOV.UK

    Use this site to find UK Government information, publications or statistics.

  • House of Commons Library

    Research and analysis on a wide variety of topics from education, poverty and social policy to foreign policy, trade and economics produced by impartial experts in the House of Commons Library. Either click Research at the top of the screen, then scroll down to browse by topic or click Search at the top right of the screen, then change to Search all research services before putting in your topic so that you can pick up House of Lords reports as well as House of Commons.

  • Joseph Rowntree Foundation

    A key UK organisation which aims to address problems caused by poverty, poor housing/homelessness and an ageing society, plus a broad range of other social issues. Use the Topics drop-down at the top of the site to access a wide range of useful reports dating from 1994 onwards, plus relevant statistics.

  • NatCen: National Centre for Social Research

    Britain's leading independent social research institute. Research covers all areas of social policy. Reports are produced in the following areas: Equality & Diversity, Children, Schools & Families, Health & Wellbeing, Social Inclusion, Crime & Justice, Income & Work and Social & Political Attitudes

  • NSPCC Child Protection Definitions

    An A-Z list of key terms used in child protection in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

  • NSPCC Library and Information Service

    Quick and easy access to the latest information, research and resources on child abuse, child neglect and child protection to help you keep children and young people safe.

  • OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

    Not fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

    General pages provide country information and statistics. Investment pages of particular interest.

  • Social Care Institute for Excellence

    The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is a leading improvement support agency and an independent charity working with adults', families' and children's care and support services across the UK

  • Social Work England

    The specialist body regulating social workers in England. The site includes the professional standards setting out what social workers in England must know, understand and be able to do.

Referencing

Use Referencing@Portsmouth to find out how to reference all the sources you have used:

Everyone in Social Work uses APA 7th edition.
Use Search APA 7 within Referencing@Portsmouth to locate specific referencing advice on chapters, articles, reports, as well as abbreviations, appendices, tables and more.

New to referencing? Watch this short APA basics video. 

Can I use ChatGPT/AI to generate references? 

Be aware that ChatGPT and similar tools invent academic references. Using such fabricated information in your work is considered academic misconduct so you should always double check any AI generated references. They also make some mistakes with APA 7th style.

The University has guidance for students on the use of AI and the Library has produced guidance on citing and referencing generative AI.

All reference generators make errors! 

Ensure you check and edit your references before submitting your work.  Here are some common errors.

There are many different ways to generate APA citations:

  • Quick options:
    • Look for a "Cite" button in EBSCO databases like Discovery, or in Ebook Central, Statista, Google Scholar etc.
  • Advanced options:
    • See our referencing tools page. The humanities and social sciences librarian supports the use of EndNote Online.

We do not advise using the referencing tool in Word.