SSW Orientation
Orientation to the Health Sciences Library for SSW Faculty, Staff, and Students.
Toolkits
Start Here
- Guide to Getting Started with Health Sciences Library (HSL) ResourcesLearn more about how to use HSL resources and what's available to you as UW faculty, staff, or student.
Need Help?
- Ask Us!24/7 assistance from librarian experts.
Research Basics
- Always start from the library's website.
- This connects you with UW Libraries subscription resources.
- Without this step, you will hit more paywalls.
- More on how to connect to resources off-campus.
- Ordering Articles not within the UW Libraries' Collections
- Formulate a research question.
- Search at least three databases: See the Social Work Toolkit and more resources below
- Search the grey literature: Social Work Toolkit- Policy Resources and Statistics
- Use a citation manager.
- UW Libraries Search (find books, journals, and more)
- Writing Resources
Scholarly Literature Databases
An anti-racist approach to literature reviews requires looking for Black and Indigenous authors and other authors of color.
- PubMed Guide PubMed is a major index to articles covering all aspects of medicine.
- Embase Guide Embase is a database of biomedical and pharmaceutical journals and conference proceedings.
- Web of Science Guide Web of Science is a citation index for the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
- CINAHL Complete Guide CINAHL contains literature in nursing and allied health disciplines.
- Global Health Database Guide Global Health Database contains global public health research and practice, including abstracts of journals, reports, books and conferences.
- Google Scholar Condense your search and connect Google Scholar (a search engine, not a database) with the UW to avoid paying to read full articles.
- More database guides Learn how to use other health sciences databases with these guides.
- Consider specialty databases Sort the A-Z Databases List by Subject to find research from a Business, Education, etc. perspective.
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Request articles or books not within the UW Libraries Collections for free.
Books
- Social Work BooksCurated list of books focused on social work.
- UW Libraries SearchSearch resources owned by the UW Libraries. How to filter for ebooks or print books.
- Recommend a PurchaseFor example: recommend the library purchase an ebook or subscribe to an ejournal. Please note: The library may not be able to purchase due to budget constraints and/or what publishers make available to libraries.
News Sources
- News GuideIncludes Ethnic Press.
Grey Literature Sources
Research through an anti-racist lens requires searching outside scholarly literature and seeking out the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC).
- Search Google (Advanced Search)
- Using domain names
- Grey lit databases
Data Sources
Evaluate the Evidence
- Guide to Becoming a Savvy Information ConsumerHow to evaluate what you find to ensure it is quality information you can rely on.
- CASP ChecklistsHelpful checklists for evaluating journal articles.
- Comedic Take on Research Comic strip by kris straub. Alt text: 1st panel: person sitting at a computer says, "i've heard from the rhetoric from both sides... time to do my own research on the real truth". 2nd panel: Google search window with search keywords "hotly debated topic" and 80,000 results with first result titled "Literally the first link that agrees with what you already believe" and description "Completely supports your viewpoint without challenging it in any way". The second link title is "Another link" and the description is partially cutoff but says "Don't worry about this one". 3rd panel: person sitting at computer now has sunglasses on, which they have tilted down to look at the computer screen, and the person is saying "...jackpot".
Anti-Racist Research Resources
Guides
- Anti-Oppression ResourcesGuide by Stacy Collins.
- Conducting Research Through an Anti-Racism LensGuide by Shanda Hunt and Amy Riegelman.
- Equity in Evidence SynthesisPage by Dev Wilder and maintained by Teresa Jewell.
- Anti-Racism and Community Health (ARCH) CenterGuide by Je Salvador and Nikki Dettmar
Books
- Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous PeoplesEbook by Linda Tuhiwai Smith.
- How to be an Anti-RacistEbook by Ibram X. Kendi.
News
- Ethnic PressGuide to news and press listed by location and ethnicity in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest, the U.S., and Canada.
Student Orientation
- Social Work ToolkitFamiliarize yourself with these resources that are curated to help with Social Work research!
- Printing On CampusMore info about printing on campus.
Get Help
- Ask Us!24/7 assistance from librarians.
- Email Leah and/or schedule a meeting with Leah to discuss your project and needs.
Course Resources
Search Course Reserves:
- Course ReserveLearn more about Course Reserves at the Health Sciences Library (HSL). Not all instructors use Course Reserves, be sure to check your course syllabus.
- CanvasInformation from courses you're enrolled in will likely be on Canvas.
- Librarian Presentations in the ClassroomResources from virtual and in person classroom presentations by Leah DeSantis, Social Work & Research Impact Librarian.
Career Resources
- Husky Career ClosetFree, gently-used, workplace attire for interviews, internships, and jobs.
- UW SSW Career ResourcesCareer resources and job opportunities.
Wellbeing
- UW WellbeingSelf-care practices for UW students.
- Hall Health CenterYour campus health center.
Faculty & Staff Orientation
Course Assistance
- Plan for a Librarian to Teach in ClassSchedule a meeting with or email Leah to discuss your course and expectations for in person or virtual course instruction.
- Add a Librarian to your Canvas CourseInstructions for adding a Librarian to Canvas.
- Designing Coursework to Avoid PlagiarismPractical advice for creating assignments.
- Inclusive LearningUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) resources.
- Accessible Teaching StrategiesStrategies for creating accessible learning environments and materials.
- Workload EstimatorUnderstand the workload your class is putting on students.
Assigned Materials
- Course Reserves InfoMore info about course reserves and how to find them.
- Course Reserve RequestRequest that items all students in a course are required to read be placed on Reserve. Electronic access is prioritized over print.
- Streaming Media Reserve RequestRequest that items all students in a course are required to watch be placed on Reserve. Streaming is prioritized over discs.
Research Assistance
- Database GuidesGuides to searching popular health sciences scholarly literature databases.
- Email Leah and/or schedule a meeting with Leah to discuss your research and the level of support she can provide.
- Ask Us!24/7 assistance from librarians.
- Systematic ReviewsLearn more about what is required to conduct a systematic review.
- ORCIDClaim your persistent digital identifier that you own and control.
- Grant ResourcesGuide by the UW Health Sciences Library.
Writing & Publishing
Reading
- Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectivelyJournal article by RV Subramanyam.
- Intro to Strategic ReadingCanvas tutorial (no registration required).
- Enough is enough: When can I stop researching?Blog by Katie Holmes, Beryl Ivey Library at Brescia University College.
- Keeping Current with the Health SciencesGuide to keeping up with developments in the health sciences.
Writing
- How to Write a Literature ReviewBasics of writing a literature review by Scribbr.
- How to Write a PosterBasics of preparing a poster by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
- Conducting a Literature ReviewVideo by Leslie Gascon.
- Reporting Your SearchVideo by Leslie Gascon.
- Odegaard Writing & Research Center (OWRC)Schedule an appointment to review your paper before submission.
- HSL Writer's GuideWriter's guide for health sciences researchers.
- Twenty Steps to Writing a Research ArticleArticle by Beth A. Fischer and Michael J. Zigmond, Survival Skills and Ethics Program, University of Pittsburgh.
- Writing for your AudienceOnline Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue resources on user-centered design.
- Writing ResourcesList of resources for writing academic papers.
Citations
- Citation Management ToolsCitation managers remove much of the work of manually writing and reordering citations. This guide will help you select from three free options the UW supports. If this is entirely new to you, watch this video demonstration of Zotero.
- Avoiding PlagiarismGuide by Scribbr.
Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D)
- OMA&DOMA&D works to enrich the collegiate experience of all UW students, faculty, and staff.
- Instructional CenterAcademic support and mentoring available.
- Health Sciences Center Minority Students Program (HSCMSP)HSCMSP supports underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students interested in health science, biomedical, or behavioral graduate or professional opportunities at every stage of their university career.
Publishing
- Publishing ResourcesLearn more about publishing in the health sciences. Includes author discounts for publishing open access and tools for negotiating with publishers.
- Patenting Versus Publishing DilemmaQ&A Article by Frank Tietze.
- Connect with CollaboratorsGuide to finding collaborators and networking.
- Author Impact FactorGuide to impact factors.
- National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)Membership is free for students and provides access to free tips and strategies for increasing your writing and research productivity.
Design & Visualization
- Data VisualizationGuide to data visualization guidelines, tools, and resources.
- Poster Design Tips VideoScholarly Snippets 30-minute YouTube video, "Design to Impress: Poster Design Tips".
Journal Club
- How to prepare to present at a journal clubBowles, P. F. D., Marenah, K., Ricketts, D. M., & Rogers, B. A. (2013). How to prepare for and present at a journal club. British Journal of Hospital Medicine (London, England : 2005), 74(10), C150-2.
- CASP ChecklistsHelpful checklists for evaluating journal articles.
Grace
'Save some space to give yourself grace.' - Unknown
School is hard, research is hard. You are at the UW to learn and grow, please do not expect perfection from yourself.
