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A Social Work Research Guide

Social work research guide

What is on This Social Policy Page

This social policy page has resources that may help you with your social welfare/policy class assignments.  For the assignments, it is easier to work with a bill that became a law.  It is more difficult to work with bills that died in committee or are currently active in Congress.  At the federal level, Congress.gov has a limit, "Became Law," which filters out the bills that died in committee or are currently active in Congress.

Social Policy - Choosing a Topic Subpage

Social Policy - Legislative History Resources

Social Policy - Legislative History Searching for Articles

When searching for articles on the origins of legislation, consider using some of the following words in the title field along with keywords related to your law:  Background  Congress*  Develop*  Enact*  Histor*  House  Legislat*  Origin*  Overview  Representative*  Review  Senat*
Anniversary articles often include history. Consider:  Anniversary  Birthday  "5 yr"  "5 year*"  "five year*"  "10 yr"  "10 year*"  "ten year*"  "20 yr"  "20 year*"  "twenty year*"  "50 yr"  "50 year*"  "fifty year*"  "100 yr"  "100 year*"  "hundred year*"
Words for the bill's path: Act  Agree*  Amend*  Approve*  Bill  Clear*  Compromis*  Conference*  Engrossed  Enrolled  Move*  Pass*  Reconcil*  Reauthoriz*  Send* Sent  Signed  Version*  Vote*

Social Policy - Legislative History - Tracking Bills

Social Policy - Economics Related Resources

Social Policy - Economics Searching for Articles

When searching for journal articles, the following words may be helpful:  allocat*  appropriat*  budget*  charg*  cost*  dollar*  economic*  expend*  expense*  fee  fees  financ*  fiscal*  fund  funded  funding  funds  income*  money*  monies  pay*  reimburs*  revenue*  spend*  spent  tax*

Social Policy - Background & Opinion Resources

Social Policy - Background & Opinion Policy Organizations

Many associations, institutes, interest groups, research centers, think tanks, etc.  produce opinion pieces, policy briefs, working papers, etc.  Many of their websites have search boxes or list the publications in a publications tab or a research tab.  To find these organizations, consider the following resources.

Social Policy - State & Local Resources

Social Policy -Citing Government Items Resources

Certain government resources are cited differently.  Consult these style guides if you use government resources. 

Social Policy - Biographical Information Subpage

Pro/Con Terms - Social Policy Subpage

The following words may help you as you conduct searches for the pro/con of a topic.

ASSESS terms: 
accountab*  analys*  analyz*  argu*  assess*  background  cause*  choice* 
choosing  chose*  comparative  comparing  comparison  conclud*  conclusion* 
debat*  determin*  differences  dilemma*  discuss* effects  evaluat*  examin* 

expert*  factor*  future  implement*  indicator*  issues  judg* look* 
measur*  option*  outcome*  outlook  overview*  perspective*  policy 
prefer*  principle*  re-examin*  reason*  reexamin*  research* 
result*  review*  status  summary

PRO terms: 
accomplish*  achiev*  advoca*  affect*  affirm*  agree*  approv*  assent* 
backer*  beneficial*  benefit*  best  better  capable  "case for"  champion  compliant* 
complies  comply*  concordance*  concur*  consent*  cure*  defend  desire* 
effective*  embrace  endorse  enhanc*  fantastic*  favor  favors  favorable  for  friend*

gain*  good  great  happy  help*  impact*  importan*  improv*  "in favor of"
keep  learn*  like*  love  malleable  merit*  opinion*  opportunit*  permission* 
permit*  persua*  position  positive*  praise*  praising  preach*  pro  progress* 

promise*  promote  proponent*  pros   prove*  proving  realit*  recommend*  right* 
solution*  solve*  solving  strength*  "subscribe to"  succeed*  success*  support* 
truth*  understand*  upgrad*  uphold*  value*  win  winner*  winning*  wins 
won  wonderful* work*

CON terms: 
acced*  acquiesce*  adverse  aftermath  against  alter*  antagonist* 
anti  awful*  backlash  bad  barrier*  battl*  bitter* block  blunder*  bump 
"case against" catastroph*  cautio* challeng*  change*  changing  con 
concern*  conflict* confus*  cons  consequence*  constrain* 

contentio* contest*  contrary  controvers*  cost*  critic*  critiqu* 
damag*  danger*  defeat*  defer*  deficien*  deficit*  deleterious*
demand*  destroy*  destructive  deter*  detract*  detriment*  difficult*
disadvantage  disagree*  disapprove*  discontent*  discordance* 
discourag*  dislike*  dismal* 

drawback*  error*  evil*  exclud*  exclusion*  fail*  fallac*  false  falter* 
farce*  fault*  fear*  fight*  fix*  flaw* foe  foes  folly* forbear*  forebod*
forego*  forsak*  fought  hamper*  harm*  hate*  hazardous  hinder* 
hindrance*  horrible*  hurdle*  hurt*  impair*  impasse*  imped* 

imperil* implicat*  inaccessib*  inaccura*  inappropriat*  ineffective* 
inhibit*  insufficien*  interfer*  jeopardize  judg*  kill*  lack*  leaves 
lesson*  lies  limit*  lose*  losing  loss*  malarky  malcontent* 
misconception*  misconduct*  mistake*  misunderstand* 

modifi*  modify*  myth*  negative*  nightmare*  obstacle*  obstruct* 
opponent*  oppose*  opposing  opposition  peril*  perplex*  pitfall* 
portend*  preclud*  preclusion*  predicament*  prevent*  problem* 
protest*  ramification  rancor*  reduc*  reform*  repeal*  rescind* 
resist*  rethink*  re-think* 

revamp*  revise*  revision*  rhetoric*  risk*  roadblock*  rotten* 
ruin  ruinous  shortcoming*  skeptic*  "stumbling block*"  terrible*
thwart*  transform*  trouble*  tyrann*  undermin*  unfavorable 
unintended  unsuccess*  untruth*  vex*  weak*  weakness*  withdraw* 
withhold*  worse  worsen  wrong*  yield*