- University of Michigan Library
- Research Guides
- Social Work
- Program Evaluation and Applied Research
Social Work
Provides resources for social work research at the University of Michigan.
Research Methods
- Conducting research through an anti-racism lensLibrary research guide form the University of Minnesota.
Research Databases
- Child Welfare Information Gateway This link opens in a new windowProvides research, data, and other information related to child welfare and family-centered practice. Includes many reports that describe program evaluation efforts.
- PsycTests This link opens in a new windowDescriptive information about psychological tests, including thousands in full text. Also includes some examples of program evaluation instruments.
- Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAn index and abstract of current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas.
Handbooks and Other Library Resources
Effective Implementation in Practice by ISBN: 9781118986158Publication Date: 2014Effective Implementation in Practice: Integrating Public Policy and Management presents an instrumental approach to implementation analysis. Case studies enable readers to identify key intervention points, become more strategic, and improve outcomes.
Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation by ISBN: 9781118893616Publication Date: 2015The Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation provides tools for managers and evaluators to address questions about the performance of public and nonprofit programs. Integrating authoritative, high-level information with practicality and readability, this guide provides tools and processes to analyze a program's operations and outcomes.
Mixed methods research by ISBN: 9780199908592The authors review the fundamentals of mixed methods research designs and the general suppositions of mixed methods procedures. They also look critically at mixed method studies and models that have already been employed in social work, and reflect on the contributions of and application of this work to the field.
Program Evaluation for Social Workers by ISBN: 9780190916510Publication Date: 2019This edition includes the fundamental tools that are needed in order for social workers to fully appreciate and understand how case- and program-level evaluations will help them to increase their effectiveness as contemporary data-driven practitioners.- Qualitative Research Skills for Social Work byISBN: 1280877146Publication Date: 2012Malcolm Carey provides social work students, academics and practitioners with a practical guide that escorts them through the research process relating to the completion of a small-scale qualitative project or dissertation.
- The SAGE Handbook of Action Research byISBN: 9781473921290Publication Date: 2015Editor Hilary Bradbury has developed the third edition to take an international approach to the topic of action research. This volume is a resource for scholars and professionals engaged in social and political inquiry, organizational research and education.
Social work research and evaluation : foundations of evidence-based practice by ISBN: 0190859032Publication Date: 2018Provides graduate-level social work students with basic research and evaluation concepts.
Research Methods
- Sage Research Methods: Qualitative & Mixed MethodsThis is a collection of videos that introduce research methods skills, concepts, and techniques that researchers need to carry out qualitative and mixed methods projects.
- U-M Library MaterialsThis is a link to recent library materials on social science research methods.
- Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new windowOver 1000 books, reference books, journal articles and videos on all aspects of social science research methodology.
Other Research Guides
Open-Access Textbooks
- Research & Statistics for Understanding Social Work Interventions, Chapter 3: Practice Evaluation as EvidenceThis open-access textbook covers basic information different types of evaluation modalities and methods for conducting evaluation research.
- Scientific Inquiry in Social WorkThis is an introductory, open-access textbook on the research process in social work.
- Foundations of Social Work ResearchThis textbook provides an introduction to social work students to help evaluate research for evidence-based practice and design social work research projects.
- Research Methods for the Social SciencesThis books discusses the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences.
Interview Methods
Learning How to Ask by ISBN: 9781139165990Publication Date: 2012-06-05Proposes new techniques for designing, implementing, and analyzing interview-based research.- A Practical Introduction to In-Depth Interviewing byISBN: 9781473921344Publication Date: 2015A nuts and bolts introduction to interviewing.
Learning from Strangers by ISBN: 9780684823126Publication Date: 1995Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of the data.- Basics of Qualitative Research byISBN: 9781452230153Publication Date: 2008Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Third edition.
- Open Data DEIA ToolkitIncludes guidelines for responsible and ethical data collection.