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Scientific Inquiry in Social Work: 4.0 Chapter introduction

Scientific Inquiry in Social Work
4.0 Chapter introduction

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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Student and Instructor Resources
  6. Copyright Information
  7. Acknowledgements and Contributors
  8. Version Information
  9. 1. Introduction to research
    1. 1.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 1.1 How do social workers know what to do?
    3. 1.2 Science and social work
    4. 1.3 Why should we care?
    5. 1.4 Understanding research
  10. 2. Beginning a research project
    1. 2.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 2.1 Getting started
    3. 2.2 Sources of information
    4. 2.3 Finding literature
  11. 3. Reading and evaluating literature
    1. 3.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 3.1 Reading an empirical journal article
    3. 3.2 Evaluating sources
    4. 3.3 Refining your question
  12. 4. Conducting a literature review
    1. 4.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 4.1 What is a literature review?
    3. 4.2 Synthesizing literature
    4. 4.3 Writing the literature review
  13. 5. Ethics in social work research
    1. 5.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 5.1 Research on humans
    3. 5.2 Specific ethical issues to consider
    4. 5.3 Ethics at micro, meso, and macro levels
    5. 5.4 The practice of science versus the uses of science
  14. 6. Linking methods with theory
    1. 6.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 6.1 Micro, meso, and macro approaches
    3. 6.2 Paradigms, theories, and how they shape a researcher’s approach
    4. 6.3 Inductive and deductive reasoning
  15. 7. Design and causality
    1. 7.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 7.1 Types of research
    3. 7.2 Causal relationships
    4. 7.3 Unit of analysis and unit of observation
    5. 7.4 Mixed Methods
  16. 8. Creating and refining a research question
    1. 8.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 8.1 Empirical versus ethical questions
    3. 8.2 Writing a good research question
    4. 8.3 Quantitative research questions
    5. 8.4 Qualitative research questions
    6. 8.5 Feasibility and importance
    7. 8.6 Matching question and design
  17. 9. Defining and measuring concepts
    1. 9.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 9.1 Measurement
    3. 9.2 Conceptualization
    4. 9.3 Operationalization
    5. 9.4 Measurement quality
    6. 9.5 Complexities in quantitative measurement
  18. 10. Sampling
    1. 10.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 10.1 Basic concepts of sampling
    3. 10.2 Sampling in qualitative research
    4. 10.3 Sampling in quantitative research
    5. 10.4 A word of caution: Questions to ask about samples
  19. 11. Survey research
    1. 11.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 11.1 Survey research: What is it and when should it be used?
    3. 11.2 Strengths and weaknesses of survey research
    4. 11.3 Types of surveys
    5. 11.4 Designing effective questions and questionnaires
  20. 12. Experimental design
    1. 12.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 12.1 Experimental design: What is it and when should it be used?
    3. 12.2 Pre-experimental and quasi-experimental design
    4. 12.3 The logic of experimental design
    5. 12.4 Analyzing quantitative data
  21. 13. Interviews and focus groups
    1. 13.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 13.1 Interview research: What is it and when should it be used?
    3. 13.2 Qualitative interview techniques
    4. 13.3 Issues to consider for all interview types
    5. 13.4 Focus groups
    6. 13.5 Analyzing qualitative data
  22. 14. Unobtrusive research
    1. 14.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 14.1 Unobtrusive research: What is it and when should it be used?
    3. 14.2 Strengths and weaknesses of unobtrusive research
    4. 14.3 Unobtrusive data collected by you
    5. 14.4 Secondary data analysis
    6. 14.5 Reliability in unobtrusive research
  23. 15. Real-world research
    1. 15.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 15.1 Evaluation research
    3. 15.2 Single-subjects design
    4. 15.3 Action research
  24. 16. Reporting research
    1. 16.0 Chapter introduction
    2. 16.1 What to share and why we share
    3. 16.2 Disseminating your findings
    4. 16.3 The uniqueness of the social work perspective on science
  25. Glossary
  26. Practice behavior index
  27. Attributions index

4.0 Chapter introduction

Whether you plan to engage in clinical, administrative, or policy practice, all social workers must be able to look at the available literature on a topic and synthesize the relevant facts into a coherent review. Literature reviews can have a powerful effect, for example by providing the factual basis for a new program or policy in an agency or government. In your own research proposal, conducting a thorough literature review will help you build strong arguments for why your topic is important and why your research question must be answered.

Chapter outline

  • 4.1 What is a literature review?
  • 4.2 Synthesizing literature
  • 4.3 Writing the literature review

Content advisory

This chapter discusses or mentions the following topics: homelessness, suicide, depression, LGBTQ oppression, drug use, and psychotic disorders.

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4.1 What is a literature review?
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Copyright © 2018 by Matthew DeCarlo. Scientific Inquiry in Social Work by Matthew DeCarlo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
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