Contains records from more than 450 journal in the fields of social work
and human services from
1977 to present. Coverage includes theory and practice, areas of service,
social issues,and social
problems. Also includes The Register of Clinical Social Workers,
a searchable directory of
clinical social workers in the United States. Access Social
Work Abstracts Plus from the Ely Library Home
page at: http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/index.html, under Quick
Links to Databases. Once on the Database Selection Page, click in the
one of the boxes next to Social Work Abstracts Plus and click on
search
at the bottom of the list.
The Search page allows you to construct search requests
and determine how retrieved records will be displayed.
To Construct a Search:
Select one or more fields in which to search, or leave the
selection as the default, "Words Anywhere". Searching by Title, Author,
and Subject are available in this database.
Type a word or phrase in the text entry area. Make use of
the Index and refer to Valid
Search Statements for examples of the types of searches you can
enter.
If desired, narrow your search by Language, Publication Year,
or other Limit Field.
Remember: When changing the selections on this screen
(Words Anywhere, Language, etc.), be sure to DESELECT the default before
proceeding.
Click Search. WebSPIRS performs the search and indicates
how many records it finds.
Valid
Search Statements
Below are the types of searches you can create in the
Search page.
Term: dyslexia
Term with truncation or wildcards: trauma* , wom?n
Previous search request number: #3
Number, in quotes if equal to previous search number: 1989
, "2" , "#5"
Letters and numbers combined: 3m
Phrase: behavioral management
Phrase with hyphens: drug-abuse
Phrase with operator in quotes: "near" death experience
Multiple terms combined with operators: adolescents or teenagers
or young adults
Any of the above, grouped with parentheses for clarity: (dog
or 1) near puppy
Combining Previous Searches:
You will have the option to combine previous searches
in this system. To do so,
Scroll down to see Search History, the complete list
of searches already done.
Click beside the searches you want combined, keeping in mind
that any search with a small number of results will come out even smaller
(often "0") when combined with other terms.
Make sure to RESET Checked Boxes each time you do this.
Limit Fields in Social Work
Abstracts Plus
Source (SO) (This is easiest to do from the basic search
screen)
Publication Year (PY)
NOTE: For more information on these limit options, see the
online HELP file under "List of Fields"
Using Limit Fields
in Your Search
How To Find...
Search Statement
...records for journal articles on family therapy
family therapy
...records for articles from a particular journal e.g. Contemporary Family Therapy
contemporary family therapy IN SO
...materials on family therapy published after 1994
family therapy AND py=1995-
NOTE: Both Upper or Lower case will work.
Document Types
Social Work Abstracts Plus covers only Journal Articles.
Using
the Index
The Index feature allows you to find out if a word or name is in the database,
and if so, how to spell it correctly. Click on the Index
button
at the top of your screen. Enter your search term in the search box
and click display. Following your word when it appears in
the list will be a number in parentheses. This represents the number
of records containing that term. Bring it to the Search screen by
clicking on the term. This is a good way to locate an author's name.
Note:Social Work Abstracts Plus does not have an online
thesaurus.
Results
Page
The Results page allows you to mark, print, save, and
mail the records retrieved by the current search. In this database, terms
of certain fields are linked. If you click on a linked term, WebSPIRS searches
for the term.
To mark records:
Click in the box next to the record number, such as Record
1 of 235, for any record that you want to mark.
To show only records you have marked, click Show Marked (top
or bottom of screen). WebSPIRS displays the first ten marked records.
To print records:
After marking records of interest, click the Print button
in the citation screen [CAUTION: Do Not Use the Netscape Print Feature
yet, as this may log you out of the database]. WebSPIRS displays the Print
Records page, which allows you to select and format records for printing.
Click Display for Print. At the next screen, go to your browser's
File
and
Print.To save records:
Click the Save button in the citation screen.
WebSPIRS displays the Save Records page, which allows you to select and
format records for saving to a disk. [CAUTION: If you use the
Netscape Save Feature you must change the file name extention to .txt]To E-mail records:
Click E-mail. WebSPIRS displays the Mail Records page,
which allows you to select and format records to mail to an e-mail address.
Be sure to include your full address: username@foma.wsc.ma.eduTo change display options:
Click Change Display to determine how field names
are displayed, how records are sorted, and which fields are displayed.
Click Previous 10 or Next 10 to display
the previous or next ten records.Descriptors:For subjects you might find helpful to use in another
search, look for the DE (Descriptor) field.
Help
For online help once logged into Social Work Abstracts Plus,
click on the HELP button at the top or bottom of your screen. There
you will find information about the specific task you are performing, as
well as links to Help Contents at the bottom of the screen. Help
is also available at the Reference Desk.
Please Log Out when
you are finished with your search