Guides: Social Work: Databases

What are databases?

Research databases are ideal when you need to conduct a more focused search than the library website provides. Databases contain abstracts, journal articles and conference papers on specific subjects. They are ideal for searching specialist resources in your subject area. You can use the library website for searching across multiple databases but for more specific searching please see the list below of databases that are useful for Social Work. We subscribe to three specific social work databases but the list of other databases will also be useful to use for your assignments.

Library Website

Use the Library website to search across multiple databases:

Search the Library website

Social Work databases

Social Care Online This link opens in a new window
Social Care Online:
THIS IS A KEY RESOURCE TO USE FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH, it gives access to social care research briefings, reports, government documents, charity reports, websites plus journal articles.

You need to register to use Social Care Online the first time you use this database, then log in each time you use this resource to access the free articles and to be able to refine your search with the filters.

Finding the full text of journal articles on this database: you need to search for the journal title in the electronic journals search box on the library webpage. If we subscribe to this journal, you can then search for the article you require; either by the year, volume number etc. or by cutting and pasting the article title into the search box on the journal page.
- Database help guide
CareKnowledge This link opens in a new window
Care Knowledge provides practical and evidenced based information to support professional practice for social work, social care and children’s practitioners. It covers social care news, guidance and research on adults, children, learning disabilities and mental health. It gives access to the following journals: Journal of Adult Protection, Journal of children's services, The journal of family health care, Journal of integrated care, Learning disability today, Mental health today, Working with older people : community care policy and practice and Research Summaries from the Social Care Elf, Learning Disability Elf and the Mental Elf.
Community Care Inform - Adults This link opens in a new window
Resource containing expert-written, practice-related information adult care social workers.
Community Care Inform - Children This link opens in a new window
Resource containing expert-written, practice-related information for child and family social workers.

Research in practice
Only social work students can access this database with their log in provided. This database is useful for the latest news in social work research and for practice based information..

Other useful databases

The databases below may have articles with some relation to social work and cover the humanities and social sciences.

Emerald Insight This link opens in a new window
Access to the Emerald database of full-text articles covering a range of subjects from management, marketing, economics, engineering, health and social care and tourism.
IngentaConnect This link opens in a new window
Access the abstracts of journal articles from a range of different publishers. If the University of Lincoln subscribes to a listed journal, then many of that journal's articles will also be available in full text.
- Database help guide
- Exporting to RefWorks
Oxford University Press Journals This link opens in a new window
Access to Oxford University Press journals. If the University of Lincoln subscribes to a listed journal, then many of that journal's articles will also be available in full text.
- List of titles in this database
Sage Premier This link opens in a new window
Provides access to all SAGE journals covering a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, science, technology and medicine periodicals.
- Database help guide
- Exporting to RefWorks
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed research literature from scientific, technical, medical and social sciences fields and, more recently, also in the arts and humanities.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
SocINDEX with Full Text is a sociology research database. It contains full text for more than 860 journals dating back to 1908. This database also includes full text for more than 830 books and monographs, and full text for over 16,800 conference papers.
SpringerLINK This link opens in a new window
Access to full text peer reveiwed articles (but not conference proceedings) published by Springer. Journal titles cover the fields of older people and ageing, migration and gender.
Taylor & Francis Online This link opens in a new window
Access to journal articles and e-books for the academic, professional and business communities.

Please be aware that we do not have access to all volumes of every title in this collection. Full text coverage varies by title due to publisher restrictions.
Web of Science (Web of Knowledge) This link opens in a new window
Abstract and index database of articles from academic journals covering the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.

You can now export references directly to RefWorks from Web of Science. Any issues, please see this FAQ from Clarivate: Web of Science: Disable pop-up blockers for Save to RefWorks
- Database help guide
- Exporting to RefWorks
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Access journals, reference works and current protocols covering a range of scientific, medical, technical and professional disciplines.

Abstract and Index databases

Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA)‎ This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and index of articles covering health, social services, psychology, sociology, economics, politics, race relations and education.
- Exporting to RefWorks

TV/ Radio databases

BoB National (Box of Broadcasts) This link opens in a new window
Shared off-air recording and media archive service. Programmes can only be viewed in the UK.

You will need to register with the site before you can access the content.
- Database help guide

Law databases

Useful for legal information and cases. In addition please use Nexis and Lexis in the newspaper section.

Practical Law This link opens in a new window

Statistical databases

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources for insights and facts across 170 industries and 150+ countries.
UK Data Service This link opens in a new window
The UK's largest collection of economic, population and social research data, including UK Census data.

Access note: Click on "Log in" and search for University of Lincoln from the list.You will need to register with the site before you can access the data.
- Database help guide

East Riding Data Observatory
East Riding Intelligence Hub
Hull Data Observatory
North East Lincolnshire Research Observatory
North Lincs local plan
The observatory data is unavailable for this region

Lincolnshire Research Observatory This link opens in a new window
A partnership of local agencies aiming to share and improve access to quality information on Lincolnshire. A wide range of data and statistics in fifteen categories relating to the county can be converted into maps and reports.

You will need to register to access some features of the site.

Office for National statistics

Psychology databases

Please note these two databases listed below are from the American Psychological Association.

PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window
- Database help guide
- Exporting to RefWorks
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
- Database help guide
- Exporting to RefWorks

Newspaper databases

Use the news tabs in Lexis and Nexis for news stories.

Lexis+ This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window

Social Work

Inter-library Loans

How to use Community Care Inform

Using Community Care Inform whilst on placement

Further Research