Learning Disabilities
Whether you're a new student starting your first assignment, further on in your studies, or starting a research project, this page will help you find and use the best information for your subject. You will also find resources to help develop your academic, study and digital skills.
If you can’t find what you need here, please contact your Academic Support Team: library-healthandsociety@salford.ac.uk
Key resources for Learning Disabilities students
Books and Journals
The first place you should look is your reading list – you will find a link to this in your Blackboard modules. It lists all the core texts for your subject as recommended by your lecturers. all our other books and journals can be found in Library Search
Databases
These give you focused access to key journal articles and research:
- Social Sciences Databases ProQuest - This provides access to key UK and worldwide articles and research, including the British Journal of Social Work.
- CINAHL - Offers a systemized approach to searching for articles and research in the areas of Health and Social Care
- Community Care Inform - Adults and Children - Guidance to key pieces of legislation, expert articles and practice guides
Useful websites
These sites may have some journals but also other key research:
Evidence Search: Provides free access to clinical and non-clinical information including evidence, guidance and Government policy.
British Association of Social Work: Provides discussion and information current topics in the field.
SCIE - Social Care Institute for Excellence: Shares and supports the use of knowledge and evidence about what works in practice.
Employability
These resources can help you gain further skills to assist in your future career:
LinkedIn Learning - Offers over 9,000 professionally produced online courses covering a wide range of technical, creative and professional skills.
Microsoft Office Specialist Certification - Boost your CV with this globally recognised IT qualification.
Current affairs
Guardian Society: Latest Society news, comment and analysis from the Guardian.
The Student Social Work Hub Twitter - @SWbohemians Instagram – student_social_work_hub
Browse your Reading Lists
Your tutors select books, articles, videos and other resources for your reading lists and the Library buys them so you don't have to.
Find the lists for your modules in Blackboard, or in Library Search.
Referencing
APA 7th (Harvard) style is the main referencing style in use at the University. We've compiled an easy to follow list of guidebooks and examples to help you get to grips with complexities of referencing.
Newspapers
Newspapers are a valuable source of information. They provide insight into what interests and concerns people both now and in the past.
The Library provides some excellent newspaper sources that allow you to search simply and easily across many newspapers at once.
Dissertations and Theses
During the course of your studies, you may find that you need to search for dissertations or theses.
You can use Library Search to help you find them and there are a number of different ways to search, depending on what you want to find.
New Learning Disabilities Students
Book a one to one
If you’ve tried our eLearning and classroom sessions and need more help, you can request a one to one appointment for information finding, academic and writing or digital skills. Select your chosen time slot and book on through Advantage.
Book on a workshop
We offer a wide range of face-to-face skills training. If you need to improve your IT skills, learn how to find information for your assignments or improve your study skills this is a great place to start.
All workshops are bookable through Advantage by clicking on the workshop title. Where a session has no remaining spaces you can add yourself to the waiting list.
Constructing an Argument [Online]
Starts: 27 Jan 2023, 12:00 pmFinishes: 27 Jan 2023, 1:00 pmRemaining places: 1This session will explore the elements that make up an academic argument, how to write your own and to challenge ones you disagree with.Digital Notemaking [online]
Starts: 30 Jan 2023, 1:00 pmFinishes: 30 Jan 2023, 2:15 pmRemaining places: 20This course will teach you to:
-Organise your work (OneDrive + OneNote)
-Improve your critical analysis (matrix tables)
-Use speech-to-text for easier paraphrasing and writing
- Improve your reading (Office Lens, Immersive Reader and other tools)Returning to Learning [ONLINE]
Starts: 30 Jan 2023, 1:00 pmFinishes: 30 Jan 2023, 2:00 pmRemaining places: 26For students who have been out of education for some time
Digital Notemaking [online]
Starts: 30 Jan 2023, 1:00 pmFinishes: 30 Jan 2023, 2:15 pmRemaining places: 20This course will teach you to:
-Organise your work (OneDrive + OneNote)
-Improve your critical analysis (matrix tables)
-Use speech-to-text for easier paraphrasing and writing
- Improve your reading (Office Lens, Immersive Reader and other tools)Get IT qualifications with Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) [online]
Starts: 2 Feb 2023, 12:30 pmFinishes: 2 Feb 2023, 1:30 pmRemaining places: 36Want to prove your Microsoft Office IT skills? Join our programme and find out how to gain Microsoft certified IT qualifications in applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint...You choose which exams to sit to become a Microsoft Office Specialist.
This webinar is delivered online.Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exam session [Available On campus & Online]
Starts: 9 Feb 2023, 1:00 pmFinishes: 9 Feb 2023, 2:00 pmVenue: Frederick Road Campus, Allerton, C811Remaining places: 7This is an EXAM SESSION for MOS certification. At the time of booking you must have scored over 70% in GMetrix's 'Testing' mode for your chosen application. Bookings not meeting this criteria will be cancelled. Candidates may also join this exam session remotely and take their exam off campus.
Finding and reading journal articles [online]
Starts: 30 Jan 2023, 5:00 pmFinishes: 30 Jan 2023, 6:30 pmRemaining places: 14In this workshop we will explore what journal articles are and why they are useful. We will learn how to find them, discuss how to read them and examine the parts that make an article up. This workshop includes advice on targeting your reading and using journal articles in your academic work.Making the most of eBooks [online]
Starts: 6 Feb 2023, 11:00 amFinishes: 6 Feb 2023, 12:00 pmRemaining places: 39This workshop will show you how to find and use electronic books (eBooks) in Library Search. This workshop will showcase eBooks and what they can do, and will include tips on using built-in tools to help save you time and advice on targeting your reading. This workshop is online.Finding information using Library Search [online]
Starts: 7 Feb 2023, 1:00 pmFinishes: 7 Feb 2023, 2:00 pmRemaining places: 46This online workshop is a live demo of how Library Search works and showcases what it can do to help you find information.
This session is designed for UK and international students to help you prepare for finding information at Salford.