Guides: Social Work Policy Research: Where to Search

Bills and Legislation

Federal Legislation

Congress.gov
Official website for Congressional legislation.
GovTrack
Nonpartisan source for legislation.
Govinfo
Free public access to official government documents.
Congressional Research Service Reports
Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan branch of the Library of Congress that provides research services to Congress.

State Legislation

Illinois General Assembly
Under "Legislation & Laws" heading, find links to "Bills & Resolutions" and "Public Acts."
Wisconsin State Legislature
Select 'Law and Legislation' on the right-hand side of the page to find search tools.
Openstates
Public website that allows you to search for state legislative information.

Search Tips

Use filters on the left-hand side of the results pages. Ex: Bill Type, Status of Legislation, Subject, etc.
Use the 'browse' features to see the legislation for various topics.
When you find an interesting piece of legislation, look it up in Google or the library databases to see if people are talking about it.

Databases

Policy File Index
Subjects: economics, law, international studies, political science, social work
Content: reports
Publication date: 1990 – present

Policy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research. Users are able to access timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.
Social Science Premium Collection
Subjects: anthropology, criminology, education, linguistics, library science, nursing, politics, public policy, social work, sociology
Content: full-text and index of journals, dissertations, ebooks, working and conference papers, etc.
Publication date: 1914 – present

This collection provides access to databases covering international literature in social sciences, including politics, public policy, sociology, social work, anthropology, criminology, linguistics, library science, and education. Featured databases include IBSS, Sociological Abstracts and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full-text coverage of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, and more.
SocINDEX with Full Text
Subjects: criminal justice, gender studies, latino studies, political science, psychology, social work, sociology
Content: journals, magazines, books, conference proceedings
Publication dates: 1908 – present
Politics Collection
Subjects: international studies, political science
Content: full-text and index to journals, working papers, conference proceedings, country reports, policy papers
Publication date: 1914 – present

This collection provides access to renowned databases such as PAIS and WPSA, covering the international literature in political science and public administration/policy, along with related fields. Together, they provide abstracts, indexing and full text coverage of journal articles, country reports, dissertations, think-tank reports, working papers, government documents and more, including full-text from many leading political science and international relations journals.