Social Work: Evidence-Based Practice 

• Articles that are reporting the results of qualitiative or quantitative studies.


• They are evaluated by editors for the quality of the research design, implementation, and the logical bases from which conclusions are researched.


• Research-based articles are distinguished from articles that discuss a theory, report on a case study, or a position paper.

Key point: Research-based articles are a preferred source of information if you are looking to make evidence-based decisions

Cournoyer, B.R. (2004). The Evidence-based social work skills book. Boston: Pearson.

There are specific keywords that you can type into a social work database when you are looking for research-based articles. Here are some keywords that you might find to be helpful:

• data
• study
• findings
• methodology
• qualitative
• quantitative
• empirical

Combine any of these keywords with other words or phrases that describe your topic of interest.

PsycInfo has a feature that lets you limit your search for articles by the methodology that the author has used for his or her article. Clicking on the methodology link allows you to select the type of research that the author has done. You can specify that you are looking for articles that report on empirical, quantitative, or qualitative studies.

The image below illustrates how to use the methodology limit feature in PsycInfo. Click on the link that says "browse methodology."