HARRIS LIBRARY

The following Pathfinder is intended to step you through the basic library research process for identifying resources relating to the area of Diversity and Discrimination. "Diversity and discrimination" is understood here as issues of diversity and discrimination in a social work/social justice context.

Consult the Steps to Research and Writing a Paper for more detailed information.

References to book and journal titles and their call numbers and locations are specific to items owned by the MSASS Harris Library and Case Western Reserve University libraries (although in most cases the resources can be found in other academic and public libraries). The websites that are included at the end of the pathfinder are intended as a starting point for research on the internet and are not meant to be inclusive.

1. Start by locating resources that provide an overview of your topic.

This will help you define terms in that discipline and provide background information in your subject area. Encyclopedias, handbooks and subject specific dictionaries offer good places to start.

Some titles specifically related to diversity and discrimination are:

Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (2007). Teaching for diversity and social justice.  New York: Routledge.

Cashmore, E. E. (1984). Dictionary of race and ethnic relations.  London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

James, C. E. (Ed.). (1996). Perspectives on racism and the human services sector: A case for change. Toronto; Buffalo: University of Toronto Press.    

Levinson, D. (1998). Ethnic groups worldwide: A ready reference handbook. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

Perez, R. M., DeBord, K. A., & Bieschke, K. J. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Ponterotto, J. G. (Ed.). (2001). Handbook of multicultural counseling (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.    

Ridley, C. R. (2005). Overcoming unintentional racism in counseling and therapy: A practitioner's guide to intentional intervention  (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Suzuki, L. A., & Ponterotto, J. G. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of multicultural assessment: Clinical, psychological, and educational applications (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

Willie, C. V. (Ed.). (1995). Mental health, racism, and sexism. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.    

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2. Search the online catalog for additional books that will give you the history, context, definitions and theories.

Define the terms that you want to use when you are doing a search for materials. If you do a subject search in the online catalog, the system limits you to using predefined Library of Congress Subject Headings. Click here for more information on doing a subject search.

Some subject headings for diversity and discrimination (in alphabetical order):

     Age Discrimination
     Civil Rights
     Discrimination against the Handicapped
     Discrimination against the Mentally Ill
     Discrimination in Education
     Discrimination in Housing
     Disability
     Ethnicity
     Homophobia
     Minorities
     Multiculturalism
     Race Discrimination
     Racism
     Reverse Discrimination
     Sexism

Doing a keyword search will give you many more titles than a subject search and may help you focus the results. When you do a keyword search the system looks in the title, subject and table of contents fields. Click here for more information on doing a keyword search.

To do effective keyword searching, you will need to think of concepts and terms related to your topic. Consulting a thesaurus will help you find synonyms for concepts. Click here for a list of thesauri owned by the Harris Library.

The following thesaurus provides alcohol and substance abuse-related terms and concepts:

Knapp, S. D. (2000). The contemporary thesaurus of search terms and synonyms: A guide for natural language computer searching (2nd ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

In addition to the subject headings above, here are some general terms (in alphabetical order) to use when searching for information on diversity and discrimination. When you narrow your search you will make an additional list specific to your topic.

NOTE: Using a system's truncating symbol (in this example, the asterisk "*") at the end of the root word will provide you with records using variations of that word.

     Age discrimination
     Ageism
     Anti-semitism (anti-semit*)
     Bias
     Disability (disabilit*)
     Diversity
     Ethnicity (ethnic*)
     Homophobia (homophobi*)
     Intolerance (intoleran*)
     Multiculturalism (multicultural*)
     Prejudice
     Racial discrimination
     Racism
     Religious discrimination
     Sexism
     Stereotype (stereotyp*)
     Stigma

 

 

Search the Library Catalog for: KEYWORD SUBJECT

 

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3. Find some general articles on your topic.

After you have located books on your topic, you will want to look for general journal articles in your subject area. Case and OhioLINK offer several general databases. These include: Expanded Academic ASAP, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, Periodical Abstracts, SIRS Researcher, and Social Sciences Index. These databases provide a mix of popular magazine articles and scholarly research articles. You can get to these databases by choosing the Research Databases option in the Library Catalog.   Note: Access is limited to authorized users.

TIP: When you search in general databases, you will sometimes retrieve citations to book reviews related to your topic. These book reviews may be helpful in leading you to book titles and/or authors in your area of interest.

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4. Search subject specific databases for more scholarly journal articles.

Once you have assembled general journal articles on your topic, you can begin focusing on scholarly research articles. Citations, abstracts and, sometimes, the full-text of journal articles are found in a variety of databases available through Case Western Reserve University and OhioLINK to authorized users.

Case and OhioLINK databases are available by clicking on Research Databases in the Library Catalog.

The World Wide Web also makes available a range of databases. Some of these require a subscription fee to be paid; others are free. Click here to view a list of selected databases available on the Web that are related to social work and the social sciences.

Literature on diversitiy and discrimination is found in many disciplines. Some of the databases that will have articles on this topic include:

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health) is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases and the Case Research Databases. It indexes literature relating to nursing, education, behavioral sciences, social services, and health care. Most of the entries included the reference list for the cited article. Coverage is from 1982 forward. This index corresponds to the printed publication Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health. [Listed  November 7, 2005. Last updated November 8, 2005.]

PsycINFO is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases. The database indexes the world's literature in psychology and related disciplines. It covers over 1900 journals as well as books, and individual book chapters. The coverage is from 1967 forward. This index corresponds to the printed publication Psychological Abstracts . PsycINFO Historical is a different database that covers similar information between the years 1887-1966. [Listed  November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]

Social Work Abstracts is available electronically through the Case Research Databases list. It contains more than 45,000 records from 1700 social work related journals. Topics covered include service delivery, social work practice, homelessness, aging, child and family welfare, community organization, and substance abuse. The coverage is from 1977 to the present. This database corresponds with the printed publication Social Work Abstracts .    [Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]

Sociological Abstracts is a database available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases. It indexes 2600 journals in sociology and related disciplines from over 55 countries. It also contains citations to many relevant dissertations and conference proceedings. Sociological Abstracts is an excellent source for information related to general community practice issues. The coverage is from 1963 through June 2005. This index corresponds to the formerly printed publication Sociological Abstracts. OhioLINK stopped subscribing to updates from this database effective June 2005, as a result nothing after that date will be present in the database. Check SocINDEX for current information. [Listed November 7, 2005. Last updated November 11, 2005.]

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CAUTION: The setup will vary for different databases. In many databases if you type in a phrase the system will look for the exact phrase. It does not add an " and" between words. So if you type "urban poverty homeless" you will get zero results because it will look for those words in that exact order. It is often clearer to enter one term at a time and combine the end results.

TIP: Look in the descriptor field and/or use the online thesaurus to lead you to additional terms.

NOTE: Online databases are distributed nationally and are not specific to Case Western Reserve University. The University will not own all the journals that are cited in the databases. Click here for information on finding journal titles in the online catalog.

5. Browse current issues of journals that contain literature on your topic.

Click here for a list of journals to which the MSASS Harris Library subscribes.

Journals that are most likely to contain information on the topic of diversity and discrimination include:


Affilia   online at: OhioLINK, Sage, EBSCOhost.   E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog)

Ageing International   online at: OhioLINK,  Transaction Publisher/MetaPress, EBSCOhost.   E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog)

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology   online at: APA PsycNet, OhioLINK.  (Public catalog)

Disability Studies Quarterly    online at:   EBSCOhost.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)  [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued] 

Families in Society   online at: Alliance for Children & Families.   EBSCOhost.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences   online at: OhioLINK. Sage.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog) [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued] 

Human Organization   (Public catalog)  [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued] 

Journal of Black Studies   online at: OhioLINK,  JSTOR, EBSCOhost.  (Public catalog) [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued] 

Journal of Disability Policy Studies    online at: EBSCOhost.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)

Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work    online at: Haworth.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services   online at: Haworth.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)

Journal of Homosexuality   online at: Haworth.   E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog)

Journal of Multicultural Social Work  online at:  Haworth. E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog) [Title changed to: Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work]

Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare    online at:  E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog)

Siecus Report   online at: Siecus.org.  (Public catalog) [Ceased ]

Social Forces   online at: JSTOR,  OhioLINK.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog) [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued]

Women & Health   online at: Haworth.  E-Journal Portal. (Public catalog)

 

Additional journals that cover general topics in Sociology and social studies are available in the Electronic Journal Center.

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6. Do a web search on the Internet for additional information.

Information located through the Internet can provide supplemental material to scholarly research articles. Material retrieved from websites should always be evaluated for currency, authorship, bias and accuracy.

Following are selected websites that might be helpful when looking for information on diversity and discrimation:

Administration on Aging (AOA)
This agency is part of the Federal Department of Health & Human Services. This extensive website features a variety of fact sheets on topics related to the elderly, information on government initiatives and programs on aging, statistics on older persons, elder abuse prevention and more. The site also includes a section specifically targeted at professionals with links to GAO Reports on Aging, website links, and HHS Poverty Guidelines.  There is also a comprehensive section for Elders & Caregivers. [Listed April 1, 2001. Last updated April 1, 2008.] (AOA)

American Studies Web
This site is produced by the Crossroads Project, a networking and curriculum project of the American Culture Studies program at Georgetown University. It is a subject-oriented index of primary and secondary web resources in American Studies. The links to material include material on  Ethnicity, Race, and Religious Cultures; National Identity; Gender and Family;  Social Movements and Social Reform; and much more. [Listed June 29, 2001.  Last updated April 15, 2008.] (ASW)

The Arc: Disability Related Links
The Arc is the "world’s largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."  This section of their website provides links to organizations and programs related to the topic of disabilities. [Listed July 11, 2001. Last updated April 15, 2008.] (ArcDRS)

Building Blocks of Diversity
Produced by The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, this site includes links to the websites containing resources related to age, disabilities, gender, religion, sexual orientation and social class, as well as multi-ethnic and racial groups. The site also includes a Diversity Bibliography that includes citations for articles and books on diversity in the workplace. [Listed July 11, 2001. Last updated May 12, 2006.] (BuBlD)

Changing America
The full title of this report is Changing America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being by Race and Hispanic Origin. It was prepared by the Council of Economic Advisers for the President's Initiative on Race. The chart book, which is in PDF format, provides data around differences in well-being and describes how such differences have evolved over the past several decades. [Listed July 11, 2001. Last updated May 12, 2006.] (ChAm)

Cultural Competence Resources
This list of Web links includes organizations, conferences, policy resource, and implementation resources on the issue of cultural competence. Connecting to the Cultural Competency Home Page will provide you with a definition of cultural competence within a health and human services context. The site is sponsored by the Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. [Listed July 11, 2001. Last updated March 13, 2002.] (CulturalCR)

Karkavelas Multicultural Resources
This page is maintained by Will Karkavelas at Osaka University. The resources are divided into four main content areas: Native American, African-American, Multicultural Voices and Culture Theory: Postcolonialism, Postmodernism, Multiculturalism, Theorists, Authors. The site leads to multicultural information in a variety of formats including articles, film, television programs, editorials, and classroom materials. [Listed July 11, 2001.  Last updated December 11, 2007.] (KRKVLS)

National Association of Social Workers Diversity and Equity Issues
Information on the Web page reflects the current positions and efforts of the National Association of Social Workers in the area of diversity and equity issues. [Listed July 11, 2001. Last updated July 11, 2003.] (NASWDivEq)

National Youth Advocacy Coalition
"The National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) is a social justice organization that advocates for and with youth people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) in an effort to end discrimination against these youth and to ensure their physical and emotional well being... We are committed to addressing the connections between race, gender, class, and sexual orientation; and to bridging the gap that exists between adult LGBTQ civil rights organizations and the mainstream youth movement."    Under Learn about legislation there are links to Current Legislation (summaries and status information about key bills); search forKey Votes (the congressional roll call votes); and tips on how to Communicate with Elected Officials. Click on Youth Connections where you will find links to both programs and nationwide resources. [Listed December 27, 2002. Last updated July 21, 2003.] (NYAC)

Office of Minority Health
This Federal government office is under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to address disparities in existing health policies and programs that adversely affect racial and ethnic populations in the United States. The site provides extensive information around health disparities and provides links to its Programs, Initiatives and Resource Center. [Listed July 10, 2001. Last updated June 29, 2001.] (OMHRC)

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7. Evaluate the information you have collected from books and articles.

Consult the bibliographies of the books and articles you have selected. This will lead you to additional references and authors to investigate. Make notes of the gaps in your literature so that you can use this information when you do additional searches. Click here for more information on evaluating the information you have collected.