Research Guides: Staying Informed for Social Work Practice: Staying Up-to-date

Send Suggestions!

Do you have suggestions for additions to this or other pages on the guide? Please send them to the U-M Library Social Work Librarian, Darlene Nichols at dpn@umich.edu.

Subscribe to Journal Alerts

There is rarely a fee to subscribe to journal alerts. Journal feeds and table of contents alerts can keep you up-to-date on research that is underway. Below are some examples of journal notification options that will provide article titles and abstracts. For articles of interest, you may be able to purchase them, get them from a nearby academic library, or request them through interlibrary loan at a local public library.

Here are some examples of journal publishers that offer alert services.

RSS Feed for the journal Research on Social Work Practice
Sage publishing offers RSS feeds for all of its journals so that you can receive alerts when a new issue is published and find which articles are the most popular. You will not be able to read these articles for free but can request them through interlibrary loan or pay for viewing individual articles online.
Taylor & Francis Journal Titles for Social Workers
This link shows a list of journals by the publisher Taylor & Francis. Use the link to the left of the list called "e-mail contents alerting" to create a free account and receive emails when new journal issues are published.
Wiley Interscience Journals for Social Policy & Welfare
Click on any title and then click the link to "set e-mail alert." You will need to register for a free account before creating this alert.

Social Work News, Blogs, & X (Twitter) Accounts

@IRP_UW (Institute for Research on Poverty)
A center for research on poverty based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This twitter account offers links to research, events and podcasts related to poverty.
@nasw
Official Twitter feed for the National Association of Social Workers.
@OfficialMacroSW
"A collaboration of social workers, organizations, social work schools and individuals working to promote macro social work practice."
@SM4SW (Social Media for Social Work)
Social Media for Social Work discusses social work practice and education globally. The feed is managed by Dr. Jimmy Young from Cal State University Department of Social Work.
@SocialWorkTech
Tweets by California social worker Ignacio Pacheco on using apps and tech tools in social work.
Information for Practice
Social Work news and scholarship, edited by Dr. Gary Holden, professor of social work at Silver School of Social Work, New York University.
Social Workers Speak
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) developed Social Workers Speak to enable social workers and the general public to critique and improve the way social workers and social issues are covered in the news media and portrayed in the entertainment industries.
The Social Work Podcast
Provides information on all things social work, including direct practice (both clinical and community organizing), research, policy, education.

Discussion Groups and Newsletters for Social Workers

Child Maltreatment Research Email Listserv
This list serve has been in existence since 1993 and is for researchers interested in the treatment, intervention, consequences and prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Child Welfare Newsletter Subscriptions & RSS Feeds
Sign up from the Child Welfare Information Gateway to receive monthly news and updates on a number of different topics and formats.
The Future of Children Newsletter
Subscribe to a newsletter, produced by the Future of Children, a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution. The mission of The Future of Children is to translate the best social science research about children and youth into information that is useful to policymakers, practitioners, grant-makers, advocates, the media, and students of public policy.
The New Social Worker Online
The free, online version of the subcription-based magazine New Social Worker. You can read book reviews, look at social work job postings and subscribe to free email news from the site.
Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) Listserv
The Society for Community Research and Action is an organization devoted to advancing theory, research, and social action.
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) Listserv
A discussion list where both members and nonmembers can debate about social issues, use the list as a resource for making connections or finding research sources, and post announcements of opportunities and events.
Subscribe to the Newsletter from the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council

Social Work Organizations

List of Social Work Organizations and Societies
The Society for Social Work and Research has created a list of social work organizations with direct links to the web sites for these groups. Stay informed by keeping track of what is happening with these organizations.
Social Work Resources
Guide to resources for social workers including organizations, continuing education information, and social network information.
The National Child Trauma Stress Network
NCTSN.org is a resource for the public, professionals, and others who care about children and are concerned about child traumatic stress.