Rutgers University Libraries Human Behavior in the Social Environment

The Basics

Rutgers-restricted Access

Many of the resources listed in the sections below are marked Rutgers-restricted Access. You should have no problem connecting to these from any networked computer on campus. However, in order to use these resources from off-campus, you must log in with your Rutgers NetID. For instructions see the Libraries' Remote Access to Library Resources.

Off-Campus Access

When working from home or some other off-campus locations, you can use the "Off-Campus Link" provided for each Rutgers-restricted resource below to login with your Rutgers NetID and connect to that database or article. Use the link embedded in the citation to access these resources on campus.

IRIS: Find Books

IRIS is the online catalog for all the Rutgers University Libraries except the Newark and Camden Law Libraries. Many of the sections below include suggestions for searching IRIS to locate other books on the topic(s) covered in that section. Show Me How

Getting Books From Other Rutgers Libraries

If a book that you need is not available (not owned/checked out) at the Dana Library, but is available from another Rutgers Library, you can request delivery of that book to Dana by bringing up the record for the book in IRIS and clicking on tbe Deliver/Recall button. Show Me

Book Not Available/Not Owned by the Rutgers Libraries?

The fastest way to get a copy of a book that is not owned or not available (checked out/on Reserve/missing etc.) at the Rutgers Libraries is to request it through E-Z Borrow. E-Z Borrow books are normally received within about five working days. Tell Me More

If a book is not owned by the Rutgers Libraries and is not available via E-Z Borrow, you can place an Interlibrary Loan request. Tell Me More

Finding Articles plus

Social Sciences Full Text
The basic index for finding articles in the social sciences. Indexes over 550 of the core, English language journals in social science disciplines including sociology and social work, public administration, political science, public welfare, and urban studies. Indexes many journals back to 1982 and, beginning with 1995, includes many full-text articles.
Off-Campus Link Rutgers-restricted Access.

Need More?

While Social Sciences Full Text will usually give you what you need for a basic research paper, if you're working on a more extensive project, or a more specialized topic, you will probably need to use an index that focuses on a specific discipline. You'll find links to some of these in the Finding Articles section below.

Becoming an 'Expert' User

Want to maximize your use of Library resources? Check out Searchpath, the Libraries' interactive tutorial.

Citing Your Sources

You must use the APA (American Psychological Association) style when citing the sources you used for your research paper. The APA Publication Manual is available at the Dana Library Reference Desk. The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also has an excellent introduction to APA Documentation that will give you the basic information you need to create APA citations and reference lists.

The APA Style Guide to Electronic References is also available online from the Rutgers University Libraries.

You can also import references from IRIS and many of the electronic databases into RefWorks, a web-based bibliography and database manager. RefWorks will build your bibliography for you based on whatever style sheet you specify (MLA, Chicago, etc.). For information on setting up your (free) RefWorks account see the RefWorks FAQ.

Not sure when you need to cite something? Check out the Plagiarism Guide

Remember that plagerism is a violation of the Rutgers University Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students and could result in your dismissal from the University!

Getting Started: Basic Reference Works

Scholarly encyclopedias can give you an overview of a topic as well as some basic bibliography.

Encyclopedia of Social Work
20th edition. New York, National Association of Social Workers, 2008.
Almost always a good place to begin your research. About 400 lengthy signed articles with bibliographies on topics felt to be of particular relevance of social work, as well as 200 brief biographies of key figures in the history of social work. Many articles include a historical overview.
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
Social Workers' Desk Reference
Albert R. Roberts and Gilbert J. Greene, editors. New York, Oxford University Press, 2002.
A very useful one-volume reference book. Includes 146 signed articles with references divided into 14 topical areas. Part III: Applications of Treatment Approaches in Clinical Social Work; Part V: Working With Couples and Families; Part VI: Developing and Implementing Treatment Plans With Specific Groups and Disorders.
Dana Call Number: Ref. HV40 .S6464 2002
Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Bruce A. Thyer, editor. Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare Volume 2. Hoboken, 2008.
Individual chapters on the application of social and behavioral science theories (respondent learning, operant learning, cognitive-behavioral, ego psychology, self psychology, attachment, psychosocial, cognitive development, person-centered, genetic, ecosystems, moral development, small group, family systems, organizational theory, and stage theories of human development) in social work. Table of Contents
Dana Call Number: Ref. HV40 .C635 2008 v.2
Social Work Practice
William Rowe and Lisa A. Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare Volume 3. Rapp-Paglicci, editors. Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
Section II includes individual chapters on assessment and intervention with specific populations: children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, families, groups, communities, organizations, and institutions.
Dana Call Number: Ref. HV40 .C635 2008 v.3
Encyclopedia of Social Psychology
Roy F. Baumeister and Kathleen D. Vohs, editors. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications, 2007.
More than 550 sitgned entries with references relating to social psychology, "the study of how normal people think, feel, and act." The Reader's Guide organizes articles by topics, including "Antisocial Behaviors" (28 entries); "Culture" (18 entries); "Interpersonal Relationships" (47 entries); and "Problem Behaviors" (16 entries).
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Michel Hersen, editor-in-chief. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publiations, 2005.
Entries focus on adult clinical applications, child clinical applications, and educational applications. Emphasis on assessment and techniques. Each entry offers background, treatment strategies, and potential complications.
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access

Evidence-Based Practice: Locating the Evidence

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) requires the practioner to first define their information needs about a particular problem. Usually this is set up in the form of an answerable question, for example, Is cognitive behavioral therapy for men who physically abouse their female partner effective? Once the information need has been defined, you can use the following resources to locate empirical evidence on your topic.

Finding Books: Library Catalogs
IRIS
The online catalog for the Rutgers University Libraries. IRIS is not a restricted database, anyone can access it from anywhere. However if you're coming in from off-campus and trying to connect to electronic journals or e-reserves from within IRIS you will need to be logged in. So you might find it less frustrating to use the off-campus version.
WorldCat
More than 54 million bibliographic records representing holdings information from libraries in forty-five countries. Materials not owned by the Rutgers Libraries can be requested via E-Z Borrow (books only) or Interlibrary Loan.

Some relevant subject headings that you can search in IRIS and WorldCat include:

Finding Scholarly Articles plus: Indexes

This is a selected list of databases that you may find useful. There are many other indexes that may focus more specifically on the particular topic that you are researching. Check out the complete list of Rutgers online indexes and databases.

Social Sciences Full Text

Psychology Database

Sociology Databases

Social Services and Social Work Databases

Can't resist the urge to Google?

Systematic Reviews
What is systematic reviewing?"
Overview from the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York.
The Campbell Library of Systematic Reviews
Free online access to systematic reviews in the areas of educaiton, criminal justice and social welfare from the Campbell Collaboration, an international research network that produces systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions.
Cochrane Reviews: Abstracts and Summaries
Cochrane reviews assess the evidence for and against the effectiveness of specific healthcare interventions. The full reviews are available only by subscription or pay-per-view, however review summaries can be searched or browsed by topic.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
Julian PT Higgins and Sally Green, editors. Version 5.0.0. Updated February 2008.
Handbook detailing the process of preparing Cochrane systematic healthcare intervention reviews.

Program Clearinghouses
National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
Searchable database of interventions for the preventon and treatment of mental and substance use disorders from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admnistration (SAMHSA).
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence Information Clearinghouse
Includes access to several databases, including a bibliographic database focusing on the collection and evaluation of research and information concerning youth violence, and a database of violence prevention, intervention, and treatment programs.
Health Care: Evidence-based Practice
Reports from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Reviews and ratings for selected child welfare related programs.
What Works Clearinghouse
Reports and guides from the Institute of Educaiton Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education.

Practice Guidelines
"Clinical Practice Guidelines: Should Social Work Develop Them?"
Vivian H. Jackson. Research on Social Work Practice 9 (3), 1999, 331-337.
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Standards
National Guideline Clearinghouse
Resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Search or Browse by Disease/Condition or Treatment/Intervention.

Cultural and Ethnic Groups

Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology
Yo Jackson, editor. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications, 2006.
Signed entries, most with bibliography, on the terms, concepts, and issues relating to the role of culture in human behavior. Reader's Guide organizes topics into 9 catagories, including "Conceptual Issues" (62 entries); "Cultural Concerns" (53 entries); "Ethnic Groups" (20 entries); "Psychopathology" (20 entries); and "Treatment" (22 entries).
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
New York, Macmillan, 1996. 5 vols plus Supplement (2001).
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: The Black Experience in the Americas
2nd edition. Detroit, Macmillan, 2006. 6 vols.
Signed entries covering all aspects of African-American history and life. While the 2d edition expands the scope of the work beyond North America, it has only a little more than half of the number of entries found in the first edition. Many of the U.S.-centered articles (for example, entries on states and major cities) are not available in the 2d edition. About half of the articles that appear in both have been updated in the 2d edition. Bibliographic references. Together, a good starting point for research on African-American life.
Dana Call Number: Ref. E185 .E54 1996.
Dana Call Number: Ref. E185 .E54 2006. Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
LGBT: Encyclopedia of Lebian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 3 vols.
Off-Campus Access Rutgers-restricted Access
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
Edited by Stephan Thernstrom. Cambridge, Mass., Belnap Press, 1980.
"A guide to the history, culture, and distinctive characteristics of the more than 100 ethnic groups who live in the United States."
Dana Call Number: Ref. E184 .A1H35
American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation
David Levinson and Melvin Ember. New York, Macmillan Reference USA, 1997. 2 vols.
Signed articles with bibliographies on 161 "nonindigenous cultural groups" in the U.S. Groups may be defined by nationality, language, culture, physical features or religion. Includes articles on groups that may not usually be treated as a separate ethnic group.
Dana Call Number: Ref. E184 .A1A63448 1997
Encyclopedia of American Immigration
James Ciment, Immanuel Ness, editors. Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe, 2000. 4 vols.
Immigration history; immigration issues (causes, demographics, acculturation, laws and legislation, politics, economics, etc.); and immigration documents (laws, treaties, court cases, reports, etc.).Volumes 3 and 4 contain articles on specific immigrant groups in America.
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN, DANA, KILMER REF JV6465 .E53 2000
New Americans: A Guide to Immigration Since 1965
Edited by Mary C. Waters and Reed Ueda. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard Universtiy Press, 2007.
Account of changes in American demographics since the major changes in immigation law after 1965, including the new waves of immigrants from non-European countries. Chapters on immigration law and policy, refugees, unauthorized migrants, racial and ethnic identity, assimilation, nationalization, economy, politics, religion, education, family relations, and immigration from specific countries and areas.
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN, DANA [REF plus STACKS] JV6455 .N49 2007
Encyclopedia of World Cultures.
David Levinson, ed. 10 vols. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1991-1996.
Each volume is devoted to a geographic area and includes a cultural map for that area. There is an entry for each cultural group including information on location, linguistic affiliation, history and cultural relations, settlements, economy, kinship, marriage and family, sociopolitical organization, religion and expressive culture, as well as a list of publications about both the traditional and current culture.
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN, DANA REF. GN550 .E53 1991.

Need more information about a specific ethnic group? See New Americans: Immigrant Groups

Cultural Competence
NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice
National Association of Social Workers, 2001?
Indicators for the Achievement of the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice
National Association of Social Workers, 2007.
National Center for Cultural Competence
"The NCCC provides national leadership and contributes to the body of knowledge on cultural and linguistic competency within systems and organizations. Major emphasis is placed on translating evidence into policy and practice for programs and personnel concerned with health and mental health care delivery, administration, education and advocacy." The NCCC has developed a number of checklists for individual cultural competancy self-assessment.
Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics: Core Curriculum and Ethnic Specific Modules
2ed edition. October 1, 2001.
Modules describing health status/issues and cultural factors affecting health care delivery to the elder population of 12 ethnic populations. From Stanford University.
Questions?
Natalie Borisovets (natalieb@andromeda.rutgers.edu)
John Cotton Dana Library
October 20, 2008