Conducting a Literature Search

Flashcards about Conducting a Literature Search for social work

Empirical Research Article

A study that involved data collection and findings. These should be peer-reviewed journal articles. Considered a primary source

Practical Articles

Describe “how things are done” in social work or human services practice

Theoretical

Conceptual articles that explain behaviors or situations. They often discuss a theory, conceptual model or framework for understanding a problem

Gray literature

Research and information released by non-commercial publishers, such as government agencies, policy organizations, and think-tanks

Tertiary or Supplemental Sources

Other literature that may shed light on the topic – can be websites or newsletters from organizations that work with your target
population, fact sheets or other statistics, or books. Might be a review of the literature (like Wikipedia). Often secondary source.

Peer review

a formal process in which other esteemed researchers and experts ensure your work meets the standards and expectations of the professional field

Primary source

published results of original research studies

Literature reviews

Provide a summary of the existing
literature on a topic
 This is not research, it merely reviews research

Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis

Use statistics to analyze trends and prominent findings in existing
literature on a topic.
 This is research.

Practical Articles are not research articles

true

Conceptual & Theoretical

Conceptual articles that explain
behaviors or situations. They often
discuss a theory, conceptual model or
framework for understanding a problem
 This is not research

Primary Sources

Published results of original research studies
Relate original research done by the author

Secondary Sources

Interpret, discuss, summarize original (primary) sources
Media sources often summarize primary research from an academic journal.

The Abstract

Brief summary of the article
• Meant to provide readers with key highlights
• Helpful for quickly finding sources for literature review

The Methods Section

Provides an overview of the research methods the study authors used to analyze their research question.

Typically describes:
• Sample Dataset (size and characteristics)
• Who the researchers spoke with to answer their research question
• Variables, Measures (quantitative), & Concepts (qualitative)
• The core concepts that are being studied as part of the research study
• Data analysis plans and procedures

Provides a roadmap to readers who want to understand how a study was designed and conducted.
• Helps with evaluation of study’s merits & rigor
• Also, helps with replication – which is a key element of science

The Results Section

Reports the findings and results of the data analysis.

Steps of the Literature Search

1. Building search queries
2. Finding the right database
3. Skimming the abstracts of articles
4. Looking at authors and journal names
5. Examining references
6. Searching for meta-analyses and systematic reviews

Social Work Librarian

Christine Larson

Finding Sources

Browse reputable data sources (like Google Scholar or Social Services Abstracts)
Read abstracts to see if the article is relevant

PsycINFO – Christine Recommends!
 Social Work Abstracts
 Sage Journals Online
 Academic Search Premier

Boolean Searching

Uses operators (AND, OR, NOT) in your search query

Quantitative research will typically report the results of a statistical analysis and share data tables with the study findings

True

Qualitative research will typically share general themes and patterns from the data in the form of direct quotations from study participants.

True