Purpose:
Learn how to use the professional literature.

Objectives:
1. To find research articles.
2. To evaluate and select articles.
3. To read and critique articles.
4. To cite articles.

Step 1: Select an issue or problem of concern to your agency

Example: How effective is kinship foster care? (Practice)
Example: Are drug court programs effective? (Program evaluation)
Example: Does group counseling have any effect on antisocial behavior of youth? (Treatment)
Example: What kind of mental health programs do minorities need in your service area? (Service delivery)

Step 2: Find background information
A. Check the Encyclopedia of Social Work (SW Ref HV35.S6 or SW Res HV35.S6)
B. Check the Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice (SW Ref HV43 H316)
C. Check the Social Workers' Desk Reference (SW Ref HV40 S6464)
D. Obtain statistical information
Statistical Abstracts of the United States
American Factfinder
Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe

Step 3: Identify key concepts
Example: How effective is kinship foster care?

Step 4: Develop search strategy
A. Select terms and synonyms:
Kinship | Family members | Relatives
Foster care | Foster children | Foster parents | Caregivers
Child welfare | Case management | Social services
Assessment | Effectiveness | Evaluation | Outcomes

B. Use thesauri for additional terms:
Check the Thesaurus of Psychological Terms (SW Ref Z695.1 P7 T48)

C. Combine terms using Boolean operators:
Sample search: (Kinship OR Family members) AND (Foster care OR Foster children) AND (Child welfare OR Social services) AND (Effectiveness OR Evaluation)

D. Evaluate your search strategy (checklist)

Step 5: Perform search
A. Know the different publication types

B. Search the databases:

Free Flash player required for sample searches.

PsycInfo | Sample Search
Social Work Abstracts | Sample Search
Social Services Abstracts | Sample Search
Sociological Abstracts | Sample Search
CINAHL (Nursing) | Sample Search
ERIC (Education) | Sample Search

C. Search the catalog | Sample Search

1. Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL)

2. Evaluating Print Sources:

Evaluating traditional print sources (Iowa State U)

Evaluating print sources (NYU)

3. Evaluating Web Sites:

Evaluating web pages (UC Berkeley)

Evaluate web pages (Widener Library)

4. Practice Tutorials:

5. Comparison Exercise:

1. How to read a research paper:

Greenhalgh, T. (1997). How to read a paper: Assessing the methodological quality off published papers. BMJ, 315: 305-308.

Read the whole BMJ series on how to read a paper

2. How to read a social work research paper:

Gambrill, E. (1997). Social work practice: A critical thinker's guide. New York: Oxford University Press.

Gibbs, L.(1999). Critical thinking for social workers: Exercises for the helping profession. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. [Exercise pdf]

3. What's Critical Thinking? What's Evidence Based Practice?

Critical thinking is a mental process of analyzing or evaluating information for accuracy, clarity, evidence, fairness, precision, and thoroughness. (Wikipedia)

Paul, R. (2003). The miniature guide to critical thinking:  Concepts and tools. 3rd ed. Dillon Beach, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Evidence based practice is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in decision making. (Referred to in social work as best evidence or best practice)

Witkin S.L., &  Harrison W.D. (2001). Whose evidence and for what purpose? Social Work, 46(4), 293-296. [Article pdf]

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is one of the new ways of thinking about what social workers should do in their practice and how they should decide to do it. EBP involves using the "best available" evidence, often interpreted to mean research-based "knowledge," about specific types of practices with particular problems. 

Evidence Based Practice web resources