Table of Contents

Part 1: Beginning social work research 1. Social work research 2. Choosing your topic area 3. Developing research questions 4. Steps in the research process Part II: Research methods for social work 5. Sampling 6. Systematic reviews 7. Surveys and interviews 8. Assessing community needs and strengths Part III: Evaluation 9. How do I evaluate my program? 10. Action research 11. Evidence-based practice and best practice evaluation 12. Research in post-disaster recovery and other crisis situations 13. Other methods Part IV: Statistical analysis 14. Producing results: Qualitative research 15. Producing results: Quantitative research 16. Statistics for social workers: Analysis of a single variable 17. Statistics for social workers: Two or more variables Part V: Bringing it all together 18. Influencing policy and practice 19. Developing a research proposal

About the Author

Margaret Alston OAM is Professor of Social Work at Monash University. She is Director of the Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability (GLASS) research unit at Monash and has published widely in the areas of gender, social work, rural social issues and climate change. Wendy Bowles is Professor in Social Work and Human Services at Charles Sturt University. She is also co-author of Ethical Practice in Social Work: An applied approach and writes in the areas of rural social work practice and education, social work ethics and disability issues.