Featured Policy Journal
Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (PIBBS) presents research and scientific reviews relevant to public policy.
Quick Links
- EWU Library CatalogSearch for books, videos, and other items located in the EWU Libraries and beyond.
Featured books
Oxford Handbook of U. S. Social PolicyCall Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2014The first substantive part of the handbook offers an historical overview of U.S. social policy from the colonial era to the present. The three following parts of the volume focus on concrete social programs for the elderly, the poor and near-poor, the disabled, and workers and families.
Legal Research in a Nutshell by Call Number: Ref KF240 .C54 2016Publication Date: 2016This guide covers research procedures using major online services, free Internet resources, and library materials. Discussion includes coverage of legislative history, administrative law, specialized and interdisciplinary resources, and research in international and comparative law.
Poverty in AmericaCall Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2013In the revised edition of Poverty in America, Iceland takes a new look at this issue by examining why poverty remains pervasive, what it means to be poor in America today, which groups are most likely to be poor, the root causes of poverty, and the effects of policy on poverty.
Featured resources
- New! IDEA WebsiteResources about Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), its purpose and history, and Other laws for children with disabilities
Liya's presentation slides
Finding background information on social policy - choosing a topic
- Encyclopedia of Social Work This link opens in a new windowEncyclopedia of Social Work is a continuously updated online collaboration between the National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press. It includes over 800 articles that cover every facet of social work policy and practice, brief biographies of over 200 key figures in social work history, and references and links to related social work resources. Encyclopedia of Social Work is regularly updated with new and revised articles.
- CQ Researcher -- 1923-present This link opens in a new windowArticles from this magazine; each weekly issue covers one current event or policy topic.
Consider using CQ Researcher to start your search. This database provides in-depth, unbiased research reports on social trends, social problems, public health issues, criminal justice, education, and the environment. Information is available from 1923 to current issues in today's news.
Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North AmericaCall Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2005Topics covered include: Child welfare, Economic conditions and social welfare, Health Policy, Landmark social welfare legislation, Poverty, Race and social inequality, Social problems, Social welfare reform, etc.
Finding peer-reviewed articles in social work related databases
- Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowAcademic journals, magazines, periodicals, reports, books, and videos in all subjects.
- PsycInfo - APA (EBSCOhost) -- 1806-present This link opens in a new windowA large and comprehensive index of peer-reviewed psychology journals, plus selected book chapters, books, and dissertations, in some cases back to the 1800's. Produced by the American Psychological Association.
- SocINDEX with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowDatabase for sociology, with solid coverage for social work, social psychology, addictions, and criminal justice issues. Full text for journals dating back as far as 1908, with selective text and abstracts for others going back as far as 1895, plus numerous books, conference papers, and other monographs.
- Social Work Abstracts (EBSCOhost) -- 1965-present This link opens in a new windowSelectively indexes journals for articles relating to social work and human services.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowArticles from criminal justice magazines and journals, with indexing/abstracting from others.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowUse Google Scholar to search for scholarly articles across the Web (this can be a good complement to subscription databases). Note the citation tracking feature. This link includes Eastern Washington University indicators. You will see "Find it @ EWU" in your results, if we have the article full text in one of our databases.
Federal legislation & regulations
- United States CodeThe codification of the general and permanent laws of the United States, divided by broad subjects into 53 titles.
- The Statutes at Large - from 1951 - 2011Every public and private law passed by Congress is published in the Statutes at Large, in order of the date it was enacted into law.
- PTOA: Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules (from United States of Code to Code of Federal Regulations)The table is divided into four segments: United States Code citations, United States Statutes at Large citations, public law citations, and Presidential document citations. Within each segment the citations are arranged in numerical order:
For the United States Code, by title and section;
For the United States Statutes at Large, by volume and page number;
For Public Laws, by number; and
For Presidential documents (Proclamations, Executive orders, and Reorganization plans), by document number. - govinfoFree online access to official government publications including Congressional reports, bills from 1993 to the present, the History of Bills, and older Supreme Court cases, as well as the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), U.S. Statutes and the U.S. Code.
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) ReportsThe Congressional Research Service (CRS), a federal legislative branch agency located within the Library of Congress, provides research reports on a broad range of national policy issues for Congress.
- CRS Reports - up to 2018 by University of North Texas LibrariesThis site provide integrated, searchable access to many of the full-text CRS reports that have been available at a variety of different web sites since 1990 as well as converted print material.
CONGRESS.GOV
- Congress.govCongress.gov is the official source for federal legislative information including Congressional bills, Public Laws, & Congressional Record from 101st Congress (1989) forward;
- Legislation by Subject and Policy Area from Congress.govFind Bills by Subject and Policy Area provides guidance for using subjects in your research.
- Policy AreasUse the policy area browse page to find bills and resolutions by policy area. An alphabetical list of Policy Area terms. The number in brackets next to a policy area is the number of bills and resolutions currently indexed under that term. Consult the Policy Area Term Vocabulary for a complete list of policy area terms and their definitions (scope notes).
- Policy Area Term VocabularyA complete list of policy area terms and their definitions (scope notes). One of 32 broad policy area terms is assigned to every bill and resolution by legislative analysts in the Congressional Research Service upon the release of official text by the Government Publishing Office.
- Legislative Subject TermsAn alphabetical list of legislative subject terms including approximately 1,000 subjects, geographic entities, and organization names. Terms from this list are assigned to bills and resolutions after close examination by legislative analysts from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). One or more than one term may be assigned to describe a measure's substance and effects.
Understanding U.S. legislative process
- How a bill become a lawFollow the path shown on the PGO graphic which shows the complex process of how a Congressional bill becomes a law.
- How Our Laws Are MadeLearn more about the legislative process via this web-friendly presentation of the "How Our Laws Are Made" (House Document 110-49).
- Legislative stages - videos from Congress.govNine videos elucidate the process by which a bill becomes law.
Finding Washington State Laws and Regulations
- Washington State LegislatureOfficial site for both the House and Senate. Access bills, laws, and administrative regulations.
Finding government programs
- Catalog of Federal Domestic AssistanceA government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public.
- Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reports and TestimoniesReports discuss the efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-benefit of selected legislation. Browse reports by date and search by topic.
- USA.govPortal to government information and services. Browse by agency to find research reports and policy briefs on agency websites.
Additional Sources for Policy Analysis
- Social Work Policy InstituteA think tank to examine policy issues "that relate to the work of social workers." The site features news, press releases, and research reports.
- A History of Social Welfare Digital Collection - CornellThe collection documents the history of social welfare in the United States.
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Advocacy websiteLink to NASW Advocacy, which includes legislative alerts, updates and key federal & state issues. Select the Washington Update link.
Finding newspaper articles on policy issues
- Al Jazeera (English)Full text available from 2008 at ProQuest Central
- The Huffington Post BlogFull text available from 2015 at ProQuest Central
- Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowSelected full-text articles from U.S. newspapers, along with over one million radio and television transcripts.
- Nexis Uni News This link opens in a new windowArticles with selected news from U.S. & international newspapers; magazines; tv/radio & Congressional transcripts; major wire services; and Roper opinion polls. Using Guided Search, "What are you interested in?" click News.
- Newswires (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowArticles from the Associated Press, United Press International, PR Newswire, Xinhua, CNN Wire, and Business Wire. Coverage only goes back one calendar year.
Citation Guides - APA Style 7th Edition
- Guide to Basic Legal CitationProduced by P. W. Martin, Cornell Law School. Last revised in Fall 2016.
- APA Formatting & Style - comprehensive guideProvided by Purdue Online Writing Lab
- APA Reference Lists - YouTube videoProvided by Purdue Online Writing Lab