Social Work Research Guide

This page includes resources that will help you explore topic ideas and find information to help you complete your Social Policy Brief paper for this class. The resources you need will vary depending on the social policy you choose, so please email me with any questions at amd212@humboldt.edu or book a research appointment with me on Zoom. 

Social policy can include legislation (laws or bills), regulations (from the executive branch of government, including agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration), and court decisions that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare, such as a person’s quality of life. 

Library Databases

• CQ Researcher is a collection of weekly research reports on recent news topics and issues of broad interest in the public policy sphere. Reports address a wide variety of subjects, including health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Each report is researched and written by a seasoned journalist, footnoted, and professionally fact checked. Each report includes an introductory overview, background and chronology on the topic, an assessment of the current situation, tables and maps, a pro/con debate by representatives of opposing positions, and bibliographies of key sources.
• Westlaw Campus Research (campus log-in required) can be used to find case law, state and federal statutes, administrative codes, newspaper and magazine articles, public records, law journals, law reviews, treatises, legal forms and other information resources.

• HeinOnline Academic (campus log-in required) provides access to 300+ years of information on political development and the complete history of the creation of government and legal systems around the world; provides access to a wide array of case law at the federal and state levels.

Websites 

Legislation

• How to Find Laws, Acts, or Statutes 
• Search for California legislative information
• Guide to Law Online: California (Library of Congress)
• National Indian Law Library - Tribal Law Gateway

Regulations 

• Regulations.gov information on the development of Federal regulations and other related documents issued by the U.S. government. 
• Code of Federal Regulations the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
• California Code of Regulations the official compilation and publication of the regulations adopted, amended or repealed by state agencies.
• CA Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs - Laws and Regulations

Court Decisions 

• California Courts 
• Supreme Court of the United States
• The Oyez Project The Chicago-Kent College of Law Oyez Project provides a multimedia archive, including audio records, of the United States Supreme Court. The website allows you to search by date, justice, and topic.